The Day of Destruction
by xGeorgiaMacLeod
Summary: The truth has been revealed and the Doctor has no choice but to travel to the Island where the ending of the Battle of the Cytracik will commence. A battle where the whole universe is after one thing. A battle that has been tormenting April and the Doctor for years, but will only have one outcome: to own the Cytracik, or to die trying. There is only 5 days left to go. Book 5/5.
1. Prologue

This is novel 5 out of 5 in the order of: _Unusual Circumstances, Nasty Surprises, Interrogating Answers, Time Heals _and _**The Day of Destruction**_. This follows directly from the ending of _Time Heals_.

* * *

**Prologue  
**_Heat Miles Base_

The beach on the Island and the Black Lighthouse zooms into view. At first everything is as it should be – the untouched beach and deserted lighthouse. The waves carefully lapping up the sand. And for the first couple of seconds everything is quiet. Just as it is supposed to be.

And yet that is only until the Ice Girl suddenly appears on the rocks.

One second she is not there, but then you blink and then she is there as if she has been there all along. But somehow it seems as if her appearance disrupts the flow of the beach. The Ice Girl appears and all chaos erupts. The waves, that were calm before, now smack harshly into the rocks. The wind is strong and the white beam from the Black Lighthouse flashes for the first time.

Lucien leans forward, elbows resting on his knees as he stares intently at the image of the beach on the small television screen in front of him. Life from the Heat Miles base buzzes outside the office door, and yet Lucien is too concerned about what happens to this Ice Girl.

Up on the wall in front of him are a dozen screens that show the beach and the Black Lighthouse from different angles. All in all the footage lasts around ten minutes. It begins with the calm beach. Then the Ice Girl appears. Chaos erupts. And then the Black Lighthouse starts to flash. Lucien is not bothered by seeing the way in which the Ice Girl struggles on the rocks and starts to deteriorate. All he cares about is the shadow that is released from the Black Lighthouse and kills the girl.

The Cytracik is a glorious object which Lucien is desperate to own – despite what his boss, Rodger Barratt says about it – but it is the looming shadow released from the Black Lighthouse that neither he, nor anyone else in Heat Miles can understand. Rodger Barratt does not show any hint of knowing what it might be. Instead Lucien is constantly ordered to study these footages to find out. He has been at this for weeks, but nothing is evident to prove anything.

The shadow is released from the lighthouse and disperses across the beach towards the Ice Girl.

Once the shadow takes the Ice Girl from the rocks and disappears, everything on the beach calms down once more. The waves return to their normal, smooth pace and the Black Lighthouse looks as empty as it did ten minutes ago before the Ice Girl appeared.

Lucien does not hesitate before he plays the recording again. This time he looks at the screen which has a closer look at the Black Lighthouse. However concentrating on this particular angle does not show any sign as to what the shadow may be.

Lucien's eyes glance down to the paperwork on the desk to his right. The top sheet gives out a list of details about the Day of Destruction. He pushes it to the side and glances at the following page: the aims and outcomes of the Day of Destruction.

The first Day of Destruction happened five years ago and the model village Heat Miles created on the Island was destroyed after the first day. The townspeople are not a concern. They happily volunteered for what they thought was to be a game. But a woman stepped out of line and everything was wiped out. Lucien scans the page of notes and finds the name Lustworve. Just at the look of the name Lucien cannot help but chuckle to himself.

Ellis Lustworve was forced to work for Heat Miles soon after the death of his wife during that first Day of Destruction. It was his wife that stepped out of line and therefore, Ellis needs to be looked out for. And yet five years later, Ellis seems like one of them. Lucien is surprised Ellis has agreed to stay on with them for so long seeing as Ellis did not seem threatened at all by the outcome when first informed five years ago.

If one leaves the company of Heat Miles – whether that is by choice or not – they are to hold their tongue about the company's work as the privacy of their work is in danger of being released into the public. Fail to do so and they would have to face certain punishments. Most often than not it will be a case of removing ones tongue, therefore they have no way of announcing Heat Miles' plans to anyone. But in certain circumstances, the punishment can just be execution. And through this execution, it may be a case of forcing one to volunteer for the Day of Destruction and their death to look like an accident.

Lucien lets out a loud sigh as he turns his attention back to the task at hand. He watches the videos of the beach over and over again, trying his best to understand the meaning of it. Now that Heat Miles have taken ownership of the Black Lighthouse and have banned all two-thousand-five-hundred villagers from crossing the cliff, things seem to be running smoothly. However while Major Rodger Barratt is fighting his way to the top, wanting to be King of the Island, he leaves Lucien the somewhat impossible task of trying to understand what this episode with the Ice Girl on the beach is all about.

And no matter how many times he watches and observes the footages, not once can he discover what this shadow is. It is dispersed from the Black Lighthouse after the fifth flash, flies across the beach and smothers the Ice Girl before taking her away, inevitably killing her.

Lucien's attention is drawn away from the screens again and to the sound box sitting to his right. The bars on the screen rise and fall rapidly, indicating that sound can he heard there on the beach. Unfortunately what the sounds may be, Lucien does not know as only silence comes from the footages. And yet there isn't anything within this episode that makes that much sound other than the harsh waves. Lucien takes note of this before he turns his attention back to the Ice Girl.

The Ice Girl stands at the bottom of the cliff on the moss covered rocks, looking out to the Black Lighthouse. She's dressed in tight black jeans, a bright red t-shirt and muddy white trainers. Her black hair falls over her shoulders. Lucien has been given very little information about this Ice Girl other than the basics. April Hollerford. Twenty-one years old, going on twenty-two. Has been watching the Black Lighthouse flash five times since her parents death when she was thirteen. Daughter of Declan and Suzette Hollerford. Twin brother of Maxwell Hollerford, also known as the Lost Brother. She is one of four people that holds time in the palm of their hands, including the last Time Lord, Rose Tyler and the Cyborg Terry. Right now this young woman who's known by the whole universe as the Ice Girl, seems more of an unnecessary obstacle. She seems to have no more importance other than her title and the fact that she is the only one who has seen the Black Lighthouse flash five times. Lucien knows that there is more to this woman than what Rodger Barratt admits. Even when Lucien asks, Rodger Barratt just grunts at the sound of her title and mutters something incoherent. It's clear that Rodger Barratt has a strong dislike towards the Ice Girl but does not explain much upon the matter.

Lucien hates the way Rodger Barratt has all these secrets he does not discuss with him. He knows far more than he lets on. Lucien has been there by his side since day one and is often given jobs that Rodger Barratt would not trust anyone else to complete. Lucien thinks that his boss should at least let him in on some of his secrets. These secrets just makes Lucien's job in researching more difficult than it really needs to be. However, Lucien finds himself more interested in the Ice Girl's father, Declan Hollerford, for he was the one who had the power to open the Cytracik in the first place.

Lucien rewinds the footage one more time, knowing that he will not sleep until he figures out what is to be done.

* * *

With his hands dug deep in his white lab coat pockets, Ellis Lustworve marches through the corridors of the Heat Miles base. He hangs his head low, avoiding the looks from his passing colleagues, wanting to reach his office and get out the building before anyone can stop him. He knows that what he is about to do is the right thing to do, even if that does mean that he'll be spending the rest of his life in silence. But working with Heat Miles is only disrespecting his wife's death. She never liked Heat Miles, but after she was killed nearly five years ago, he was forced to work with them. Surely by now they must trust him.

The work he has to do here is exactly what his wife hated about Heat Miles, for he is part of the team that plans out the next Day of Destruction. It is already May and they have five months left until the Black Lighthouse is predicted to flash. And it is around the same time the Day of Destruction will be held. October is the month Ellis knows he will dread for the rest of his life. The Day of Destruction occurs every year in the final week of October. If they are lucky, it might be over before November starts. But because of this, Ellis refuses to work for the company any longer.

The Heat Miles base is busy and as Ellis reaches his office door, he is thankful that he did not pass Rodger Barratt or any of his other bosses. As he opens his office door, he is even more thankful to find his office empty. There are no other sounds but the hum of the computers and the mini refrigerator in the far corner of the office.

Ellis' possessions have already been packed. For the past couple of weeks he has slowly taken home a few of his office equipment, but now the rest of his possessions are packed in a very worn rucksack sitting on his seat by his desk.

Closing the door behind him, Ellis walks across the office, staring down at his desk which he has been sitting at for the past five years of his life. He is thankful that this job kept him busy for so long as it helped him to move on from his wife's death. But it has not helped his daughter's health.

For one brief second Ellis hesitates. Is leaving Heat Miles is a good idea? Leaving will leave him speechless for the rest of his life. And depending on Rodger Barratt's and Lucien's mood, he will probably lose his tongue before he reaches his home tonight.

But then Ellis thinks about his daughter. Little Amelia Lustworve. She is the only joy he has left in his life after his wife and he knows that he has to do this for her. He will leave Heat Miles and they will leave the Island. There must be life outside of this Island surely. Ellis and his daughter can start afresh on another land. Get in a boat and sail out to sea. There has to be land elsewhere. Somewhere beyond the horizon.

If they leave this Island, they will be free from Heat Miles, the Black Lighthouse and the constant fear of the Day of Destruction. The Island is far from the paradise the two and a half thousand civilians here believe it to be.

Without any further hesitation, Ellis picks up his resignation letter from his top desk drawer and leaves the office. Like before, he marches through the corridors with his head held low, letting his colleagues pass him unnoticed.

The last thing Ellis thinks of before knocking on the door to the head office is whether or not he should walk in wearing the white lab coat.

* * *

"Shit!" Lucien hisses as he spills the hot coffee from his mug all over his black trousers.

The knock on the door is unexpected and Lucien only prays that it is not Rodger Barratt. Lucien slams the now empty coffee mug on the desk and rubs away at the burning coffee stain on his legs. There is another knock at the door, this time a little impatient.

"Hold on a moment!" Lucien shouts as he dabs at his trousers with a tissue. However this seems to make matters worse as bits of the tissue stick to his trousers. Giving up, Lucien throws the tissue away and storms across the office. As he opens the door, the last person he is expecting to see is Ellis Lustworve.

Ellis' eyes briefly take note of the coffee spill over Lucien, his team leader, before taking in a nervous breath. "May I have a word?"

"Yes but you're limited. What do you want?"

"It is something not to be discussed out in the open."

Lucien narrows his dark grey eyes before running his fingers through his greasy blond hair. He steps to the side, allowing Ellis to step into his office. He then closes the door, shutting out the light from the corridor and storms back across the office. In a panic, he shuts off the screens, changing the images to CCTV cameras around the base, removing all images of the Ice Girl and the beach that Ellis is evidently pretending not to have seen. Lucien then flicks on the lamp on his desk and almost throws himself down in his chair.

There is a slight squelch as he sits in a small puddle of hot coffee. Lucien just grits his teeth and pretends that everything is fine.

"You have ten words." Lucien says as he crosses his legs, trying to hide as much of the coffee stain and bits of tissue as he can.

Ellis is aware that Lucien is seething with rage for him having disturbed whatever work he was doing before. But Ellis is desperate to get out the base as soon as possible.

"I know what the outcome will be if I do this." Ellis says slowly and sternly as he hands his letter of resignation to Lucien.

"That's twelve words."

"Eleven, actually."

Lucien glares up at Ellis suspiciously before snatching the letter. Uncrossing his legs, Lucien rests both his elbows on his knees and rips open the letter. There is silence as he reads Ellis' neat handwriting on the paper and his face instantly drops.

"You having me off?" Lucien snaps.

"Why would I joke about this?" Ellis asks. "I am not lying, sir, I have a doctor's note to prove that my daughter needs my care. When she is like this, I am no use here." Ellis holds out the doctor's note and Lucien only looks at it if it is dirt.

"After everything we have done for you, is this how you repay us?"

"Surely my work here the past five years has been enough repayment." Ellis says indifferently.

Lucien glares at Ellis for a long while before he grunts. "You will be bound to silence from here on, Lustworve. Unfortunately you are not in a position for a total tonsillectomy but I suppose you have done Heat Miles good. I will inform Major Barratt of this and I am sure that he will not be best pleased. But we trust you enough to remain silent."

Ellis is shocked for a brief moment. "Thank you."

"Now get out of my sight. I want to hear nothing from you ever again." Lucien snaps as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

Ellis turns on his heel and leaves the office with a sly smirk. _Oh yes_, Ellis thinks to himself, _I am sure you will be hearing plenty of me later this year._

However, Ellis only takes a couple steps away from the office before Major Rodger Barratt appears from the other end of the corridor. Leaning lightly on his walking stick which he evidently does not need, he marches slowly down the corridor, not once acknowledging Ellis.

It is as if Ellis is not there.

Rodger Barratt pushes open the door to the main office and steps inside, saying something to Lucien.

Ellis turns and slides through the door and back into the office before Rodger has the chance to shut him out. Rodger and Lucien do not see or hear Ellis as he stands in the shadows, listening in on them.

With his arms folded across his chest, Rodger Barratt walks across the office and stands in front of the many television screens. Ellis stands back and watches the screens that no longer show CCTV footages, but videos of a beach and a lighthouse. The videos are silent and are only ten minutes long, but each screen shows the beach from different angles. It then hits Ellis that this is the beach that is so often talked about in the village, but a place that is strictly out of bounds. Ellis has very little knowledge of the beach other than Heat Miles have taken ownership of the lighthouse that sits at the edge of the Island, overlooking the horizon. Ellis' briefing on this lighthouse and the beach was very brief and he is aware that there is a hidden road travelling under the cliff that leads to the beach. But he has never been given the opportunity to go to this lighthouse. His work remained at the base.

Knowing that there is no way Rodger Barratt or Lucien will be able to see him, Ellis steps out of the shadows and takes a closer look at the screens. The screen in the centre, the one Rodger has his focus on, shows a female. A young pale woman with black hair that sits just below her shoulders.

The Ice Girl.

"Any ideas?" Rodger Barratt asks.

"I'm afraid not, sir," Lucien replies, holding his hands behind his back. "Other than it's clear her appearance causes some sort of disruption to the beach."

"Well yes because the whole thing is in her head." Rodger Barratt's voice is low and menacing.

Lucien turns to look at his boss who still looks at the screen showing the Ice Girl.

"What is yet to happen?"

Rodger Barratt does not flinch at the question but seems to enjoy leaving the silence draw out before he replies. "I am sure at the end of this week we are to inform Heat Miles that the Doctor is on his way to the Island."

Lucien shuffles on the spot. "The Doctor? The Oncoming Storm" His voice is surprised. "He is coming into land?"

"The Doctor and his many companions. The Ice Girl for one. The lost Brother. Rose Tyler and his cyborg."

"Any prediction as to when they will turn up?"

"Let's just say that the Day of Destruction will be fully prepared and ready to go when they do," Rodger Barratt chuckles. "You know, Lucien, I believe the whole universe is on its way to the Island right now."

Lucien starts laughing at the idea of the whole universe coming to the Island. It seems a preposterous idea, but Ellis knows that Rodger Barratt is not joking. It is a true fact. Lucien then realises this and stops laughing. The sudden realisation is shown across his young face.

"You're serious?"

"We have five months until their arrival and they are all after one thing."

"The Cytracik." Lucien's voice is a whisper.

"Well yes of course. But the universe also wants to watch the fall of the Doctor."

Lucien nods. "I see. Are we to do any preparation for their arrival?"

"No. They have to figure things out for themselves. And when they do it'll be too late."

Ellis notices the way Lucien tries to cover up the way he is suddenly very nervous.

"So far I have been unsuccessful in trying to observe the shadow that emerges from the Black Lighthouse," Lucien says with a nervous edge to his voice, avoiding looking at his boss. "We can only assume that it is something from the Cytracik as it kills the Ice Girl. I believe that a lot of this is revolved around this young woman but I do not think she quite realises that."

The look of disgust is clear on Rodger Barratt's face at another mention of the Ice Girl. "I don't know who she thinks she is," he hisses. "She's as much use to me as a spoon for spaghetti." His words are more to himself.

"She just wants to save her own skin." Lucien mutters.

"Yes but she would put her friends before herself. Lucien, I have informed you about why we have the Day of Destruction."

"In so many words yes."

"Well here is some news to you. The Cytracik created this Island. Our visitors are going to have to abide to our rules if they want to live."


	2. I - An awaited reunion

**I  
An awaited reunion**

_Present day  
__Scotland  
__Jack Gruntler's residence_

To many, the sound of the Tardis coming into land can be quite a peaceful sound. It can mean safety, happiness and friendship. But for Jack Gruntler, the sound of the Tardis is like a threat. It is a displeasing sound and somewhat disturbing.

Sitting in his armchair, Jack looks down at the space in front of the fireplace where his dog would usually sit. Only this time the dog is no longer there. Since Jack sent his Butler to go back in time to to Manchester and keep an eye on his grandson, his dog mysteriously disappeared shortly after. Now Jack sits alone in his cottage in Scotland.

So the sound of the Tardis in the near distance is the last thing Jack wants to hear. Especially now he knows what is to come. This is the day he has been waiting for many years: the day the Doctor returns to announce the start of their destruction yet to come. The day they will have to go to the Island and put an end to the Battle of the Cytracik – a battle that has been occurring for far too long.

Of course Jack has always known that this day is coming. He has been waiting for this moment since he knew that the Doctor finally found April Hollerford. But it is little things like this Jack wishes to keep to himself. Gone is the day when Jack used to tell the Doctor what is to happen and the things he has to do. But the Doctor being the stubborn Time Lord he is, didn't always follow Jack's instructions, no matter how many times he has been warned about the consequences. Since the start of the Battle of the Cytracik, Jack gave out less advice. What is the point of giving advice to help the Doctor if he does not follow them? Instead Jack continued to give him riddles and clues here and there and let the Doctor to choose his own path. If he wanted to, he could have told the Doctor about the prophecy of the Ice Girl and about her nightmare long ago. But although it is a huge factor to the battle now, Jack knows that it is not his place to inform the Doctor of this. He knows the effect it has put on April and thinks it best that for her to tell him herself. But just like he had suspected years ago, by the time April tells the Doctor, it will be too late.

The development Heat Miles have put into the Day of Destruction is too far now. They are a strong company and the Doctor is going to find it more difficult than it should be to get them on his side. But now the Doctor knows all about April's nightmare, they have very limited time to correct everything. Especially now the whole universe is on its way to that Island in April's mind.

Jack shuffles very uncomfortably in his seat. His legend is known across the whole universe. The One Who Knows All. Jack is ready to be bullied and battered to near death from creatures across the universe, just to get information from him. All Jack can say truthfully is that the Battle will end very soon, no matter what the outcome is, whether the Doctor wins or if Heat Miles does. If the Doctor fails to befriend Heat Miles, it will be impossible for them to win this battle. But if April has the courage to pursue her nightmare and understand her place in this life, then she might be able to end it with her own bare hands. Jack knows that he is willing to help April more than the Doctor seeing as this battle revolves around her and her parents.

However for the first time in his life, Jack cannot see the outcome of this battle.

When UNIT and the Doctor were fighting the Nobody's in Antarctica in that parallel world, Jack knew everything that was to come. He knew that the Nobody's will be defeated. He knew how many members of UNIT would fall dead. He knew everything but always kept it all to himself. Sometimes the future is better left unsaid.

But in this case, Jack cannot see the future. He cannot tell what is to happen past what is happening now. He can only guide April and the Doctor as much as he can with the knowledge he has. All Jack can sense is that the Battle of the Cytracik will end from this and the universe will change. However for better or worse it is impossible to know.

Jack closes his eyes and sinks into his seat just as he can hear Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata _playing in the kitchen. Joseph must have put it on to fit the mood. He is ready for this moment. But he is not ready to face the Doctor again. Jack only closes his eyes momentarily but when he opens them again, the Doctor is already there standing before him.

The Doctor's face is very close to his. A look of concern flitters across his face briefly. Jack does not move.

"Just checking if you're still alive." The Doctor says before moving away. He starts pacing up and down the living room.

Jack is silent for a short while as he rubs his eyes. He thinks carefully about what he has to say. "Has my Butler revealed?"

"Joseph Hollerford."

"Good."

The Doctor stops pacing. "Why did you not tell me this before?" His voice is accusing.

Jack is not in the mood for the Doctor to tell him off for anything. "Well, Doctor, because you never listened to me, I gave up informing you about anything after Declan and Suzette died. I left you to handle your own dealings rather than spoon feed you everything like before," Jack groans. "I saved Joseph from the battle so that the Cytracik couldn't do any more harm to that family than it already has done."

The Doctor starts pacing the room once more and Jack only watches him. It is clear that the Doctor is stressed. He's thinking the same things that Jack is thinking, although Jack is far better at hiding his personal thoughts than the Doctor is.

"Doctor," Jack says calmly, yet his voice is still stern, holding his authority. "You knew that this was going to happen. You knew that there would be a day when we will have to fight to stop this battle."

"It's a suicide mission, Jack." The Doctor stares down at Jack.

"Did you not realise that before? UNIT risked their bloody lives to fight in this battle. Declan and Suzette Hollerford also risked their lives. You and I risked our lives for being part of it. We were lucky and came out alive. And so did Rodger Barratt and his army of shape shifters. Just because we survived the first, does not mean we might survive the second."

"But you know what is going to happen!" The Doctor snaps.

Jack remains silent as he stares at the Doctor. It takes the Doctor a moment to understand. He falters.

"You don't know what is going to happen, do you?"

Jack shakes his head solemnly. "I'm afraid not, Doctor. I can make rough estimations as to what _should _be done, but I cannot say if it will make a good or a bad impact," Jack chuckles, his shoulders rising and falling as he does so. "You know at first I only ever pitied the human race for its politics and wars of the history on this Earth. But now I pity the whole universe."

The Doctor raises an eyebrow. "How can you pity the whole universe?"

Jack's chuckles cease very quickly. "The whole universe is on its way to that island in desperation for power. Does that not explain enough? That is what the Cytracik is. It is a trick. It only opens to those who have the most power – a factor nothing can tell – but what the one with most power receives is this," Jack gestures to the air around him. "This nightmare April has been stuck with since the moment Declan opened it. The Cytracik will latch the next who has the power but will only give back something worse," Jack grunts. "And the whole universe is stupid enough to want it."

"I don't think the whole universe is coming in hope to open the Cytracik."

"And what do you think the universe is coming for the Island for?"

The Doctor hesitates for a moment. "Well for power yes, but I can guess many wish to have the Cytracik destroyed. If the title of power can be for one, why not all?" The Doctor hesitates again. "And I'm sure many wish to see my downfall." The Doctor laughs weakly to himself but Jack only stares.

"So you have been listening to me these past few years," Jack mutters quietly as if more to himself but evidently for the Doctor to hear. "You know April, Rose and Terry will do anything to save your backside. And since April came into your life, you have done very little to show a mare thanks."

"I saved her life before that shape shifter of Bruce could kill her!"

"She was about to save her own life before you took her," Jack snarls. "From the way you have treated her these past couple of years, Doctor, I am not surprised she doesn't exactly trust you. Both you and April are as bad as each other and you're making it worse."

"Don't you dare say that I have not cared for April because I do! I care for her more than I let on. I love her as I love Rose, as I love Sarah-Jane Smith, as I love Martha Jones, as I love Aaron Brimikawood and everyone I let into my life," The Doctor is now shouting. "I will not let anything kill her before it gets through me too!"

Jack shakes his head in disbelief.

"Jack, I saw her attempt suicide as she jumped in that river. I spent weeks thinking she was dead!"

"And what would you do, Doctor, if she was dead?" Jack asks sternly and enjoys the silence that follows. "You can regenerate into many different faces, Doctor, but not one face will ever deserve her."

There is a long silence and Jack knows that he has struck a cord inside the Doctor. Sometimes with the Doctor, it is best to be firm and harsh with him to get the message. Jack sighs heavily and gestures to the Doctor for him to take a seat. The Doctor does so, sitting down on the sofa opposite Jack.

"We're all monsters, Doctor," Jack says weakly. "We all have the power to kill when we have the chance. And right now, during this battle, you cannot hesitate for too long, otherwise something else will take that chance from you. This battle relies heavily on time. What you do now will impact the future of the universe. Don't fail."

"Could do with Joseph making us some tea right now."

"Try scotch whisky." Jack says dryly.

The Doctor smirks as he sinks further into the sofa.

Jack lets out a deflated sigh as he closes his eyes again. "This is a selfish war, an inhuman one at that," he opens his eyes. "We all have to stick together through this. And we need Heat Miles to like us. That is your first job."

"That Lucien seems a good target. He seems like one who would do anything under orders," The Doctor snorts. "It's lucky I have removed his memory. So he will not remember meeting us in Manchester. This meeting on the Island will be his first encounter of me."

"I wish him luck." Jack chuckles.

The Doctor then frowns again. "Are we to free Monroe?"

Jack purses his lips. He knew this questions was to come. "Unfortunately Monroe is out of our hands and we cannot save him from what they have done to him," he moves his legs slightly but it causes him some pain as he does so. "No one should ever have to go through that kind of torture. Monroe grew up listening to those voices in his head and following his hallucinations. But once he was trapped there in that soundless cell, it was as if his schizophrenic mind left him. He was trapped with himself. For the first time he was alone without those voices. Of course he wasn't able to cope. Monroe is no longer the man you first met."

"You knew they were going to torture him." The Doctor accuses.

"No I did not." Jack replies calmly.

"I don't believe you." The Doctor's voice is harsh again.

Jack grunts. "I already said. I know everything but the outcome of this battle. I know about the Island and what happens there. I just do not know what is going to happen when this is all over. I don't know who will win. I did not know that Heat Miles would turn Monroe into some sort of weapon. It was my way of trying to get on their side. I just hope the Cytracik is destroyed and we can have peace again," he pauses. "If we survive."

"And what do you suggest?"

"Remember what it is you are fighting for, Doctor," he says deeply. "You will realise what we have to do when we get there, but you can't go all guns blazing. This time you are going to have to let April take charge," Jack notices the displeasing look on the Doctor's face but presses on nonetheless. "This is the best advice I can give you at this stage. This is April's nightmare you are playing with. This Island in her head. We are entering April's unconscious state so any effect on the Island will have an effect on her. You must let her get on with it. Don't stop her from doing anything she wants to do. Let April go her own way and don't hold her back. You may disagree with a lot of things she might choose to do, but she has to do it. Let her go. Let her do whatever she thinks is right. It's up to her now."

The Doctor glares at the fire crackling in the fireplace, and the first thought that comes to his mind to distract him from Jack's words is knowing that more wood needs to be placed in the fire.

"Doctor," Jack says slowly. "If someone offers to help you, then take it. I don't care if they are human or alien. You need as much help as you can get. And when it's offered then take it. Denying it like you often do will cost someone's life. Remember what this battle means for you. Why Declan asked you to care for his daughter for him. Why he left this heavy burden on your shoulders. He trusted you, Doctor. And those who are willing to trust you are fighting this battle for the twins," Jack then lowers his voice. "If Will were still alive he would risk his life to save hers. Edina would risk her life for Maxwell's."

"What are we to do about the shape shifters?" The Doctor suddenly asks bluntly.

Anger crosses Jack's face. "They will burn in hell along with the Cytracik."

The Doctor flinches at the mention of hell. Since being chased after the Devil, the Doctor constantly finds himself wincing at any mention of religion or of that memory. That scenario with the weeping angels and the Devil was an unnecessary obstacle they crossed, but it still haunts the Doctor.

Jack and the Doctor sit in silence for a long while as they stare into the burning fire.

"I miss it, you know," Jack eventually says. "The dog I had here. I miss his company. I was thinking about putting him up for adoption around this time to give him a safer place to live. But he left me when Joseph did."

The Doctor does not say anything about this but finds himself smiling weakly. It is moments like this he remembers that Jack Grutnler does have a heart. Then the Doctor pauses his thoughts for a moment. Of course Jack has a heart. He wouldn't be here trying to help if he had no heart.

The Doctor glances up at Jack who is still looking into the fire.

Suddenly the living room door bursts open and Terry steps in dramatically, followed by Morgarn. The calm atmosphere that was in the living room seconds ago disappears as quickly as it came. The Doctor jumps to his feet but Jack remains sitting in his armchair.

"What the hell is she doing here?" The Doctor shouts at Terry, pointing at Morgarn.

"More of that later," Terry guards herself. "We need to move _now_," her voice is harsh and authoritative, not how the Doctor is used to. "We have been wasting too much time. We have to move right now."

"What the hell is she doing here?" The Doctor repeats, his voice strong with anger.

Morgarn only rolls her eyes. "You need me more than you let on, Doctor, and with this battle we are heading into, you need as much help as you can get. Now quit complaining like a small child and just accept the fact that I am willing to help you," Morgarn then lowers her voice. "You will be stupid to deny this help."

"But how did you get here?" The Doctor's voice is still loud. "You're from that parallel world. In Antarctica. This is not that world!"

Morgarn sighs heavily. "Jack Gruntler, I do not have time for this. Is he or is he not going to take my help? Am I working with you or am I entering this battle as a lonely soldier?"

Jack does not say anything upon the matter but glances at the Doctor who seems to be looking at him for answers. Jack holds his stare until it breaks him.

And it eventually does.

The Doctor sinks into himself visibly and Morgarn takes this as a hint that her help has been accepted.

"Okay, I shall get started then," Morgarn insists as she steps into the middle of the room. "I fear that the one thing we are going to have to do is take part in the Day of Destruction. Volunteer. Show the enemy who they are up against in battle. We are going to have to make a strategic plan as to what is to be done in that forest. It is also the simple matter – for which I have been discussing with Jack – on who is going to volunteer for the Day of Destruction. It is not a good idea for us all to go in as one. We need some behind lines. But I suggest that-"

The Doctor raises his hand to silence Morgarn. "What exactly is the Day of Destruction?"

Jack looks at the Doctor for a short moment. "Let's just get us all to the Island first," he says before hauling himself uncomfortably out of his seat. "No need to worry about separate transport for the others," he walks across the living room stiffly, heading to the door as he speaks. "Doctor you are to pick up April, Rose, Max and Joseph from Manchester and take them straight to the Island. I'd advise you park the Tardis somewhere it cannot be seen from anything. All creatures from the universe will know your ship from a mile off. Find me when it's necessary, Doctor. You'll know where I'm staying once you see it, " he then looks at Morgarn. "You're coming with me."

"What are we to do when we're there?" The Doctor asks.

Jack halts at the door. "I guess we do whatever April chooses."


	3. II - The Island

**II  
The Island**

_Manchester  
__Max Hollerford's residence  
__1775_

The cold hallway fills with an awkward silence. A silence where everyone in the room is scared to make the first move. Rose stands by the front door, hoping to hear the Tardis any second now. Max leans against the closed French doors leading into the dining room, his arms folded against his chest as he glares at his Butler...his grandfather. Joseph Hollerford stands near the hallway leading to Max's study. His hands are clasped in front of him. April sits on the bottom step of the stairwell, looking blankly ahead with a harsh scowl.

Silence has filled the house since the moment Joseph revealed his true identity as April's and Max's grandfather. The news not quite sinking in.

Not even the ticking clock in the dining room can be heard. Not even an owl hooting outside. Only silence.

It is still dark outside. The hallway is dimly lit by the moonlight shining through the windows and the odd candle burning here and there. Everything is a little too silent. But the Doctor ran away in his Tardis with Terry a few hours ago. All four silently wonder to themselves if time has stopped outside. Has time in 1775 ceased for the moment until they leave this era? Like the year is expectantly waiting for them the leave before continuing with history.

Rose attempts to speak, not bearing the silence any longer, but her voice cracks at first. She clears her throat and tries again, directing her words towards Joseph Hollerford. "Where are they?" Her voice is weak. "The children. Penny and Phillip. Where did they go?"

There is a silent pause before Joseph replies sullenly.

"They have moved back to that small house they were in before. That family have taken it under their wing to care for them." Joseph's voice is low and weak as he speaks. "They have bright futures."

Silence returns the moment Joseph stops speaking. Rose briefly glances out the French windows on either side of the front door. They overlook the cobbled street and the house directly across the road. The house opposite once belonged to the Bellingham family. The front of the house still has a gaping hole since the explosion triggered by the Devil. The empty house now stands there alone. Memories of everything that has happened in this city since they arrived is haunting to everyone.

Rose looks at the darkness in the street and is certain that time outside of this house has definitely come to a halt.

However, Max's thoughts are not the same as Rose's. It is not the fact that time has stopped outside that concerns him. It is finding out that his Butler who has been working for him for most of the time Max has been here in Manchester, is in fact his long lost his grandfather. The father to Declan Hollerford. And an old General to UNIT. And Max is not sure whether or not he believes it. There are certain essences around Joseph which are very similar to his father. It's the little things he does, the way he holds himself when he walks, the crooked half-smile. Even the eyes are the same as Max's himself. It is evident that they are from the same family. But this fact angers Max. Why did Joseph take cover as his Butler instead of telling him the truth years ago? How did he not know that his own grandfather is still alive?

Joseph tried to explain himself shortly after revealing his identity, but Max was too angry to hear any of it. A few hours later and Max wishes that he didn't let his emotions get the better of him. But how else were they to react to this news? Especially since since both April and Max grew up believing that they had no grandparents. Maybe that was Declan and Suzette in the wrong making them believe that.

Max slightly changes his position on the door frame, but continues to watch his grandfather who stands in his usual upright posture, almost as if he is still awaiting orders.

But Joseph used to be a General of UNIT. Max knows that his parents kept UNIT very secret from the twins all throughout their childhood. But for their grandfather to be a General is something almost unbelievable.

Both Max and April were both far too young to understand anything about UNIT. That's what Joseph said after revealing his identity. The more Max thinks about this, the more the anger rises up inside of him. So it is as if his parents were willing to keep everything a secret from them – leaving them to find out everything on their own. Max understands that the only reason why he and April have no memory of their grandfather is because the Cytracik takes away memories. It is why April never remembered Max while they were separated.

"Why do I still have no memories of you?" Max says out of the blue, almost as if he can no longer keep his own thoughts to himself. "Now I know that you are my grandfather. Now I know that Jack Gruntler saved you from the battle. Why can't I remember you?"

Joseph's reply to his grandson comes quicker than expected. However it is not what Max is wanting to hear.

"Because you were never meant to find out." Joseph's voice is low but rings the truth.

Max accepts Joseph's words and for a moment the anger slowly starts to vanish. But then Rose steps forward.

"Come on, guys, we have to work together. Remember what we're fighting for!" she snaps. "We're fighting for the end of this battle, and I don't want to waste another moment. I don't know about you three but we have to stick together. Don't you agree, April?"

They all turn their attention to April who sits on the bottom step of the staircase. Her knees close to her chest and she looks down at the black and white tiles. Her harsh scowl more prominent than before. Yet she does not make a move or even a hint that she is listening to what is being said.

For a moment Rose waits hopefully that April will at least acknowledge her, but the truth is she knows that they have already lost April.

As April sits there, she cannot help but feel the coldness that creeps over her. She can feel the goosebumps forming all over her skin, yet she remains motionless as she stares down at the floor tiles. It is not the silence in the hallway that is haunting her, it is the memory of Horace Bellingham. As she sits there, she sees the memory of the day they hung Horace. She remembers standing in the crowd with Joseph, watching Horace drop through the trap door and hanging limply from his neck by the rope.

Horace was driven with madness after Max couldn't save his family from tuberculosis. He was full of revenge towards Max. But the madness really kicked in when the Devil started to meddle with that family.

April thinks about the amount of people she has come across since being with the Doctor, and how many lives she has effected – for better and for worse – and how many people who are willing to save her life. She thinks about Will Sullivan, the man she loves. The man she had to leave, telling him how she could not forgive him. She could not forgive him for his past he wanted to keep to himself. It is one thing April cannot forgive herself for. And how desperately she wishes she can see him again. But she met Will from a parallel world. The Will Sullivan she loves is dead.

How many more people are going to be driven from madness or killed in battle because of her? Is this what the Doctor thinks every day? Is this what he deals with, knowing how many lives he has effected?

But then the memory of Horace hanging by the neck from the rope flashes across April's mind again and she squeezes her eyes shut. In her head she can hear Horace singing the last stanza from the nursery rhyme _Oranges and Lemons._

_Here comes a candle to light you to bed,_

_Here comes a chopper to chop off your head._

_Chop, chop, chop, chop,_

_The last man down is dead._

The nursery rhyme that has been haunting April since she first visited Antarctica in the parallel world. But what was the meaning of this?

These memories fly around April's mind like bats. However it does not impact her mood. The memory of Horace Bellingham being reduced down to madness haunts her. And so do the memories that follow. She remembers to look on Rose's face moments before she destroyed the factory, burning herself as well as the Devil. April spent a long while believing that Rose was dead but she's here now and ready to take part in the Battle of the Cytracik.

April will only admit to herself how the dangers the Doctor has left April, Rose and Terry in will forever haunt her. And although she's disturbed by the view of the beach and the Black Lighthouse in her sleep, she is also disturbed by her memories during her waking moments. As the image of Horace hanging clears from her mind, she is met with another unwanted memory. The memory of her mother dying in her arms after a shot from a Cyberman.

April presses her fists to her head, trying to blank out these unwanted memories.

And once they fade slowly, April feels nothing but the coldness that consumes her.

She knows that she will go through this battle blindly. For nothing can take away the pain this nightmare has caused her for the past eight years of her life.

A moment later and there's a high pitched ringtone that echoes around the hallway. The ring sounds strange in the eighteenth century setting. But the ring only lasts a few seconds before Rose holds her mobile phone to her ear. Her voice is light and April can tell she's talking to the Doctor just from the tone of her voice. Joseph, however, watches her suspiciously. Max moves away from the wall and stands near Rose, wanting to know what is happening.

They have been waiting for far too long.

Rose eventually ends the call and smiles at Max. "Alright, slight change of plan. The Doctor is coming to pick us up," she spins around and points to Joseph with her phone. "You are to join Jack Gruntler straight away. We are to meet you there when we are ready."

Joseph nods. "I understand." He takes one last fleeting look at his granddaughter, before turning on his heel and disappearing down the dark corridor.

Rose waits a brief moment, making sure that Joseph has disappeared before speaking again. Whatever door he chooses to enter will take him straight to Jack Gruntler. Rose then takes in a deep breath before looking back at Max. "The Doctor is on his way to pick us up. The five of us, including Terry, will travel to the Island."

April suddenly lifts her head at the mention of the Island.

"No," April cries weakly and then she stands up. "Please no!"

Rose turns to look at April. The gormless, pale face she had been wearing for the past few hours is now ridden with fear. April's scowl is still harsh, almost with anger, and her eyes reads the signs of panic.

"April, we have no choice," Rose says calmly. "We have to go now otherwise this Island is going to kill you."

"Then let it!" April shouts but quickly falls backwards, not being able to contain the sob that follows. "Rose, please, don't let him take me there."

Rose, feeling sympathetic towards April and everything she has had to deal with, falters for a moment and wishes that there could be some other way to stop the Battle of the Cytracik without taking her to the Island. She takes in a shaky breath, watching April's world fall apart at the prospect of going to the one place that is killing her.

But before Rose can even attempt any words of comfort, the sound of the Tardis echoes around the hallway and there is a sudden gust of wind. The interior design of the Tardis' console room slowly starts to make its appearance, and so does the Doctor and Terry, just as the hallway disappears.

April can no longer hold in her sobs. Max goes to his sister and holds her close to him. He holds her so tightly as if it will stop her from shaking so much. But April's cries are silent as she stands limply in her brother's arms.

The Tardis jolts and pulls everyone off their feet as they fly away from Manchester and to the Island. The Doctor stumbles and falls over often as he makes his way around the console, pulling leavers and pressing buttons here and there. Terry is stable on her feet, but Rose, Max and April cling onto the stone pillars or the rails, hoping to not fall.

But after what feels like a very long time, the Tardis eventually comes to a stop with a jolt. Then there is a comforting rumble from the console.

Everyone is silent for a long moment and the Doctor makes the first move, avoiding looking in April's direction. He looks up the bright green tube spurting out the centre of the circular console. There is steam rising to the ceiling of the Tardis. The Doctor sympathetically rubs the side of the console, muttering comforting words to his ship.

April's sobs have stopped since they started flying, but she only glares at the Doctor who is still avoiding her eye. Occasionally he glances in her direction and immediately turns away when he catches her glaring at him. He is purposefully trying to avoid her glare.

"Well we're here." The Doctor says but his voice is deflated.

"What's the date?" Rose asks, suddenly desperate for there to be sound.

"October fifteenth." The Doctor replies stiffly.

"And is there any significance to this date?" Rose tries to keep her voice light. However the Doctor does not respond. He stares down at the console.

"The Cytracik was first discovered in October." Terry says but the information is not of any use.

No one makes a move. There is nothing but silence outside the doors. All that can be heard is their own heavy breathing and the rumble from the console. This is April's nightmare they are visiting, so no one stops her or says anything when she is the first to move. She strides across the console room rather confidently, breezing past the Doctor and pulls open the front door.

At first she is met with bright light, damp air, as if it has not long stopped raining, and the heavy smell of seaweed. There is a light cold autumnal breeze that blows through the open doorway. When her eyes adjust to the bright light streaming onto her face, she sees nothing but a grey sky and green grass that looks like it stretches for miles and miles.

The scene looks like a painting at first and April is vaguely aware of this area from her nightmare. She remembers seeing this view when she was on the clifftop. Yet there is no sign of the beach other than the sound of the waves somewhere in the distance.

It isn't until April feels her brother's protective presence over her left shoulder that she takes her first step onto the grass. Her dirty white trainer sinks ever so slightly in the mud.

April does not know whether it is from being in a dark hallway for so many hours and now being almost blinded by the light, that's giving April the headache. But the moment she steps out of the Tardis and onto the soggy grass, she feels the thumping at the side of her head. It aches but she knows that it will probably pass in time.

April takes a few steps forward across the grass, the wind blowing strongly around her, making her wobble with every step she takes. April stops a fair few feet away from the Tardis and looks at the long stretch of grassland before her. It seems never ending despite the slight misty fog in the air.

April flinches in fright as she hears the Tardis door shut. She turns around but it isn't the view of her friends and her brother stepping out onto the grass that shocks her, it is the view of the beach behind the Tardis that does.

Terry looks down at her handheld device and says something to the Doctor who is looking left and right, frowning. The bottom of his long coat flaps vigorously in the wind. Terry's words are carried away by the wind, but April slowly makes her way past them and towards the edge of the cliff. The closer she gets the more the beach comes into view until April can see the whole image. The image that she has been terrified of since she was thirteen.

And she is not seeing it in a dream. This is the real thing.

The Doctor, still frowning, watches her. He takes one glance at the view of the beach and then back at April, almost as if he is waiting for her reaction. Whatever April is thinking is not shown across her face. There is nothing but her somewhat threatening scowl.

Rose glances at the Doctor before nervously going to join April by the edge of the cliff. To Rose it looks like a normal deserted beach, but she cannot shake off the feeling that the Black Lighthouse to her left is trying to draw her attention towards it.

To April, the beach looks exactly how it does every time. Nothing has changed.

Just below them, running along the bottom of the cliff are the dark, moss covered rocks. A vast space of sand lays just between the rocks and the calm waves. To their far left is the tall Black Lighthouse, almost as tall at the cliff itself. Separating the lighthouse from the beach is a low stone wall running from the cliff to the edge of the the shore.

They all stand in a line at the edge of the cliff looking out at the beach. Max, April, Rose, the Doctor and Terry are silent for what feels like a long time as they observe the scene in front of them. It seems like an ordinary beach and so far nothing seems entirely threatening. The waves are calm and there doesn't seem to be any life from on the beach at all. The sky above them is just covered in grey clouds. The Black Lighthouse seems eerily empty but everyone finds it difficult to not take their eyes off it. It seems like a strain on their eyes to try and look away.

"I'm always stood down there," April says in a low murmur, more to Max who stands to her right. "On the rocks. I watch myself standing there looking out to the lighthouse." April stares down at the rocks, too afraid to look at the Black Lighthouse.

"You found yourself up here last time." The Doctor says, his voice harsh. April does not respond. The Doctor glances over to April to his right and watches her as she glares down at the rocks below. He is well aware of Terry on his left, staring at him, wanting him to say something to her.

Both Terry and Rose hates this horrible divide between the Doctor's and April's friendship. Since they left the parallel world, the bond that held the four of them together has been broken, especially now April still has trouble trusting the Doctor. But this irritates Terry. Terry can find many faults within April and the Doctor. April is stubborn and always closes in on herself. The Doctor has a bad habit of always acting on a whim, not thinking before doing and causing himself and the people around him more harm than intended. Occasionally Terry, a cyborg who is now learning human emotion since she came in contact with Dalek blood, still finds herself getting angry about the time when the Doctor agreed to teaming up with the Daleks. But right now their priorities is the here and now. The Battle of the Cytracik and destroying the prophecy of the Ice Girl and the Lost Brother. The past cannot help them now. And with this divide between the Doctor and April, Terry wishes to hit them both out of their senses. April is clearly afraid of being where she is right now, and the Doctor is clearly sulking over Jack Gruntler telling him to let April do what she wants.

The Doctor takes one glance over to the Black Lighthouse before instantly looking out to the calm sea, ignoring the force that pulling his attention towards it.

"Don't stare at it for too long." The Doctor says sternly and instantly, Rose and Max look away from the lighthouse.

Terry takes a step away from the edge of the cliff and starts playing with her handheld device. It beeps once and she starts scanning the grass below her feet. April turns to look at Terry who walks a few steps, stops, walking a few more and stops again.

The wind picks up a little as April glances around the long stretch of grass around them. She is sure she remembers seeing a scarecrow in her nightmare. She remembers it standing in the middle of the clifftop with nothing to support it. However April keeps this additional remark to herself. The scarecrow is nowhere to be seen and thinks that it is not of dire importance right now.

Another fact about her nightmare April wishes to keep to herself is the young girl and her weak father: Amelia and Ellis Lustworve. When her nightmare changed, it followed Amelia looking after her weak father and wanting to enter the Black Lighthouse to stop the battle. April is curious to wonder if Amelia and Ellis are here on the Island. But April can see nothing but the beach and grass.

April wishes that she stole that file she found in the Heat Miles base back in Manchester. April and Max broke into the base with a target of killing Heat Miles. But instead she found a file that talked about the Day of Destruction and the use of the Island. However the longer April is here, the less she remembers from being in that base.

April closes her eyes tightly as memories flash past her, the Daleks begging the Doctor to help them, her training with UNIT, her mother dying in her arms, the Nobody that appeared in her hotel room, the battle in Antarctica, and finally Horace hanging from the rope. These memories spin around over and over again in April's mind. But the tighter she closes her eyes, the harder her head hurts. The last memory that springs to April's mind is the look on Will Sullivan's face as April slowly walks away from him. It was the last look he gave her before the Doctor took her away from that parallel world. A horrible pang of guilt overcomes April as she remembers to look of hurt and disappointment cross Will Sullivan's face.

Terry's voice brings April back to the present moment and she feels a warm hand lay on her shoulder. April opens her eyes to see the Doctor going to join Terry who is pointing to something unseen in the distance in the opposite direction to where the beach is. Max's hand is firm on April's shoulder. Rose stands beside the Tardis, her face full of concern as she looks at April.

"Hang in there." Rose says quietly but her words are blown away by the wind.

"Let's get a move on!" The Doctor's angry voice is carried over by the wind to their direction. Rose instantly turns and joins the Doctor and Terry. Max does not move until April does. They join Terry and the Doctor.

"This cliff separates the beach from the village. If we walk a couple of miles north then we should find our way to the village." Terry states as she tucks her handheld device into her denim skirt pocket. Because the Doctor created Terry himself, he made her skirt pockets like his Tardis: bigger on the inside, just so that she can carry anything she needs.

"A village?" Max queries.

"There's a whole society here of around two and a half thousand citizens. And guess who's in charge of this society?" Terry looks up at the Doctor with her eyes. But they all know the answer: Heat Miles.

The Doctor looks at the foggy distance over Terry's shoulder. He has to get Heat Miles on their side. That is his first job. "Well I suppose we'd better get a move on then." He takes one glance at April, catches her eye but quickly looks away again. He starts walking north, leaving the beach and the Black Lighthouse behind him. Everyone else follows pursuit.

Rose constantly looks behind to April as they walk, wanting to make sure that she is okay. But April only glares down at the muddy grass as they walk on. Max remains by his sister's side.

The walk is painfully quiet and every so often, someone slips in the mud. The further they cross the clifftop, the muddier the grass seems to be. April turns around at one point and finds that the view of the Tardis, the beach and the Black Lighthouse has completely disappeared in the fog.

The fog seems to become ever more thicker the longer they walk until at one point, it is dark and the fog so thick that they can barely see each other. The panic starts to rise but no one voices their fear.

However it isn't until they step out of the heavy fog that they can see again. The grass seems less muddy, just how it was back at the Tardis, and they can just about see the edge of the cliff. The sky above them is still grey, but just over the edge of the cliff they can just about see –

"A forest!" Rose suddenly says as they slowly come to a stop at the other side of the cliff.

The Island is teeming with life. Down below them is a large village. There is one main road that circles the perimeter of the village and spurts off inwards towards different areas of the Island. There are buildings, tall sky scrapers and houses everywhere. Directly in the centre of the village are many different farming fields. In the far distance is a large forest, cutting off anything that can be seen at the other side. To the left are a few hills, some more like mountains, and they can just about make out some sort of factory hiding within the hills. Over by the forest is a very large mansion with a large front garden.

From up on the clifftop, everything seems minuscule. But the roads are filled with cars. Life can be heard. April's scowl deepens as she observes the village below her. This seems so far away from her nightmare. She shakes her head.

"This village was never in my nightmare." April says sullenly. She thinks about Amelia Lustworve, but her nightmare only showed her little house, not a village.

"There is always far more to what the mind can think." The Doctor says blandly.

Terry looks from left to right, trying to find the best way to get down to the village. But further up to their left, Terry spots a steep rocky path, almost completely hidden from view.

"Come on," she orders, heading straight to the path. "We have no more time to waste."

Terry walks down the narrow, steep path with ease, but the others take small, careful steps, holding onto rocks and branches coming out the side of the cliff to hold their balance. The lower they descend, the louder life on the Island becomes.

The fog seems less so when they reach the main road. Cars pass them by regularly and as soon as it is quiet for a brief moment, they quickly run across the road so that they are not on the side of the cliff. Then without saying a word, the Doctor starts to direct them along the main road.

Rose, Max and April cannot help to feel out-of-place there on the side of the road. The cars zoom past them, but they are the only people walking along the side of the road. The Doctor catches an eye from one of the drivers but pretends it does not bother him as he keeps walking on.

The Doctor halts at a junction and looks at the sign in front of him. The sign points to different directions, giving them a large option of where they can go: town centre, strawberry fields, the hills of Ebernie, the DoD Museum, Miles Primary School, the shops, the town hall, Barratt's mansion and the cul-de-sac.

The Doctor groans loudly as he runs his fingers through his hair.

"What did you expect, Doctor?" Terry hisses rather impatiently. "Did you think that Heat Miles would have a sign telling you where their hide-out is? They're trying to make this Island look believable. They know the whole universe is on their way so lets show the universe where their base is. "

Ignoring Terry's sarcasm, the Doctor turns down the nearest street, following the sign leading them towards the cul-de-sac.

"There's no harm in learning more about life on the Island." The Doctor says matter-of-fact as he walks on ahead. Rose, Max and April exchange cautious glances before following him and Terry down the street.

This cul-de-sac is nothing like the one April grew up in back in London. That one curved around a small grass area beside a house, ending at a brick wall. The house she once lived in was in the far corner of the road. This cul-de-sac, however, creates a full circle. The road entering the cul-de-sac is straight before it reaches the circle. There are many detached, houses circling the road. Just between each house, over the top of their garden fences, the farming fields can be seen. In the centre of the road are a group of school children running around, giggling and playing with one another. And standing in the side of the road is a huddle of parents, chatting among each other while keeping a watchful eye on their children.

The Doctor stops at the entrance to the cul-de-sac and observes the scene, a confused frown upon his face. Rose, Terry, April and Max gather around him. The children remind April of the ones back home. She remembers sitting in her bedroom, hiding from Bruce Fey, listening to the laughter from the children as they came home from their school day.

"When you said that we were going to the Island," Rose starts. "I was expecting all storm and danger around every corner. But it's not. It's just an ordinary day."

Rose stops short when the children start humming a tune. They break into a game as they start singing the words to _Oranges and Lemons_. Two stand facing each other, holding their arms in the air creating an archway. The excitable children pass through the archway as they sing, but when one is caught between their arms in the final line of the song, they are out of the game.

It is a fun, innocent game. But to the travellers it is a song that has been haunting them and following them everywhere on their travels.

"What is it with that song?" The Doctor spits. "I thought it was just a side song to remember against the other one Jack told us. But it's just following us around wherever we go." The Doctor whips his head around, taking in every corner of the cul-de-sac.

Terry pulls out her handheld device and starts scanning the area. "There doesn't seem to be any alien life forms here. _Yet_. Well except from you Doctor," Terry looks upwards at the grey, cloudy sky. "It would seem that we are the first from the universe to arrive here. Everything seems too normal right now."

The Doctor takes a step forward, looking at the children as they continue to play and sing _Oranges and Lemons_.

"We should keep moving," He orders. "We can't do much until we understand the Island."

"Then lets get inside the Heat Miles base." Terry suggests sternly.

The Doctor quickly cuts across Terry. "Lets meet the locals first."

There is a tension in the air as they follow the Doctor further into the cul-de-sac. Instead of following the others, April falls back and looks at each and every house around her. She cannot shake off the feeling that she is being watched.

However, it is not the shadow over her shoulder she can always see in the corner of her eye. If she chooses to ignore it then it is not there. But this time, April knows that she is being watched by someone or something.

April scans the cul-de-sac, the singing from the children becoming muffled in her ears. But then April stops sharply when she sees a flurry of blonde hair hide behind a fence to a garden.

April remains standing still and waits for the face to turn up again. And it does.

A young girl peers out from behind the wooden fence.

April has just found a young Amelia Lustworve.


	4. III - Amelia Lustworve

**III  
Amelia Lustworve**

_The Island  
__Cul-de-sac_

Without further ado, April quietly slips away from the Doctor's patronising stare he has been giving her since they left Manchester, and follows Amelia Lustworve. Luckily no one notices her disappear as she walks across the road of the cul-de-sac.

Amelia looks far younger to how April remembers her from her nightmare. Still, she continues to follow.

Since they arrived at this cul-de-sac, April knows that they have been watched by someone. Despite still seeing the dark shadow over her shoulder, she knows that whatever else that was watching them is something different to that shadow. And now here Amelia Lustworve is. Amelia looks no older than ten years old. She wears a lilac dress that hangs by her knees. There is a thin red belt wrapped around her waist and the skirt of her dress is decorated with lilies and lavenders. She wears white ballet pumps on her feet that are dirtied with mud.

April keeps her distance between herself and the young Amelia who constantly turns to look back at her, almost as if Amelia is making sure that she is being followed. For all April knows, she might be walking into a trap, but the fact that she knows about this girl and her father from her nightmare, April feels that she must follow Amelia.

Amelia takes April towards a couple of detached houses to the right of the entrance of the cul-de-sac. But instead of taking her into one of the houses like April suspects, Amelia takes the stone path that passes between the two houses. As Amelia reaches this stone path, she halts for a moment and April does the same.

Then Amelia breaks into a run and disappears down the path.

Instantly April runs after her. She runs down the path, passing the two detached houses and their garden walls. The path is just about wide enough for a small car to pass through without scratching the walls of the houses either side. The path eventually opens out as it reaches a wider driveway.

Once April reaches the back of the garden walls, April stops running abruptly as she finds herself in an open garden surrounding a small bungalow.

April takes one sweeping glance over the detached bungalow before she turns and looks down the stone path she has just come down. She can still see the road from the cul-de-sac sac at the end of the path and the laughter from the children is still heard.

The brown little bungalow sits on its own with its flowerbeds sitting at the front. Parked on the stone driveway is a small white and slightly rusty van. April glares at her own reflection in the front windscreen and is certain that Amelia is not hiding inside.

There is a certain edge of peace and serenity around the bungalow. Here and there the garden flowers look a little uncared for and a few are dead, but it seems distant from the life back on the main road or the cul-de-sac. And it seems far from the beach way over the other side of the cliff.

The garden around the house is covered in the same stones on the pathway. There is only a small patch of grass just at the front of the house.

However Amelia is nowhere in sight.

April walks across the drive, passes the bungalow and heads towards the back garden. The back garden is far smaller than the front. There is an empty washing line and a white metal bench looking out at the fields behind the house. There is a low wooden fence that separates the garden from the fields. April walks right up to the back fence and looks out at the vast land of fields and the hills of Ebernie.

The land here is strangely flat. No hills can be seen other than the hills of Ebernie, the same ones they could see from the clifftop. The fields look like they stretch out for a fair few miles. But what intrigues April the most is the music she can hear.

Loud booming music can be heard somewhere in the distance and April is not too sure exactly where the music is coming from. The more April strains to listen to the music, the more she can hear a loud, somewhat excitable roar of people. Like a large crowd taking part in a party of some event.

April suddenly jumps in fright at a clattering sound coming from the house.

Instantly April spins around and looks at the white back door to the house where the sound came from. There is a slight tapping sound and April's eyes draw to the cat flap at the bottom of the door. The cat flap seems still for a moment, but April jumps in fear once more as the cat flap swings open and slams shut again. April just gets a brief glance of a small pale hand.

April slowly walks across the small back garden towards the back door, expecting it to swing open at any second. But it does not. However the cat flap swings open and shut again after a long moment, although this time it is almost a little more vigorous.

April quickly kneels on the stone pavement slab by the back door. She peers at the cat flap with narrowed eyes, waiting for it to open again but it does not. April then gently pushes it slightly and in the gap she sees the flurry of Amelia's blonde hair. April snaps her hand away and takes in a deep breath.

_Get a grip. _April thinks to herself. Amelia is just a young girl. More than anything she is going to be more help to her.

April raises her hand again and reaches for the cat flap. She pushes it open and this time holds it open. Amelia is already there, peering at April curiously with her wide, brown eyes. April and Amelia stare at each other for what seems like a long while. April takes in another breath and opens her mouth to speak, but Amelia gets there first.

"DADDY!" Amelia's voice is ear piercingly loud as she elongates each letter.

Once more, April jumps in fright and drops her hand. The cat flap closes with a slam which makes April jolt in fright once again Why is she being so jumpy? However before April has any time to compose herself and get back on her feet, there is the sound of a key turning in a lock. The back door swings open.

Standing in the doorway, looking down at April is Ellis Lustworve.

April bites on her tongue as she looks sheepishly up at Ellis. To her surprise, Ellis looks younger and far healthier than he did in her nightmare. In her nightmare he was weak, barely able to walk on his own two legs. His brown hair was almost grey and he was unhealthily slim. But the Ellis here is young, full and stronger. He is still slim, but April can see his biceps through his shirt sleeves. His messy brown hair flops into his eyes and a neatly trimmed beard covers his cheeks and lower face. He wears dark jeans and a checked shirt.

But Ellis only looks down at April suspiciously. April cannot help but think how stupid she probably looks to him, sitting there on her knees by his back door. Amelia peers nervously around from behind her father and April lets out a loud, deflated sigh. She knows that it is possibly the best for her to leave. No doubt Ellis wants her out of his way, knowing how reserved and stubborn he was in her nightmare. Even if that is a future Ellis. April does not know. But she knows she should probably make a move to leave.

"I guess it really is starting to happen." Ellis' voice is low but somewhat understanding.

April's scowl deepens as she looks back up at Ellis, who looks down at her. He looks at her as if he recognises her.

"You'd better come inside." Ellis orders.

Without thinking twice about it, April scrambles to her feet, feeling Ellis' strong hand take her by her upper arm. He then steps to the side and guides her into the bungalow, pushing her forward slightly by her shoulder. April only takes a few steps into the back porch, seeing Amelia disappear into the next room, before she turns back to Ellis. He takes a quick look around the back garden before closing the back door and locking it three times.

At first April feels rather uncomfortable being locked into a stranger's house but she has to remind herself that this is the family she has dreamed about. They must know more about this Island and the Day of Destruction and to have them trust her, and for her to trust them, April knows that she must befriend them.

For a split moment, memories of UNIT flash across her mind and she suddenly feels that she seems to ruin any friendship she has. Once more she thinks of Will Sullivan and the pang of guilt hits her. She will never forgive herself for pushing away the one man she loves. April then holds her breath. Is she going to forever regret the past?

Ellis turns to look at April. He looks at her all over, her trainers, her clothes, her hair and the evident look of mistrust in April's eye. However Ellis finds this amusing and cannot suppress a smirk.

"It's alright," Ellis says in a light tone. "I'm not going to hurt you. I suppose there is a lot we both can learn from each other," he forces a smile which April does not return. "Come, take a seat," he starts to direct April out of the back porch and into the living room, feeling April's body tense beside him. "Trust me, please. I am the one inviting you into my house. It's the least you can do before we talk."

April is silent as she looks around the next room which is the living room and the kitchen combined. Everything, even the furniture looks exactly how April remembers it was in her nightmare, however there is more colour. Everything seems less grey than it did.

April takes a seat in an armchair. The one she remembers Ellis sitting in her nightmare. But Ellis does not object. Instead he tilts the all the blinds over the windows as if to stop anyone, or anything spying on them through the windows.

Ellis looks over to his daughter who seems to be hiding in the shadows. April notices this too. She looks at Amelia who only looks at her fearfully. All the curiosity Amelia had only moments ago is no longer there.

"Fancy a drink?" Ellis suggests to Amelia.

Amelia nods and shrinks away into the kitchen area. Ellis watches his daughter for a moment before he turns on April. He stands directly in front of her, his posture tall and strong as he looks down at her. April twiddles her thumbs for a moment, feeling rather hesitant, before she looks up at Ellis. His mouth twists as he looks at her as if studying her.

"I suppose if we are to get through this battle and win, we are going to have to be completely honest with one another. Is that understood?" Ellis demands.

April is taken aback by his sudden, demanding words. The Ellis she saw in her nightmare was weak, mentally and physically. Even his voice was quiet and weak. But this Ellis is young and strong. He knows what he needs.

April nods.

"Who are you?" Ellis spits.

Quick fire questions. April starts to panic. "Err, April Hollerford." There is no point beating around the bush. Ellis wants to trust her and April wants to trust him. They both have to be honest.

"What are you?"

"A human." April replies, a little dumbfounded.

"And where are you from?"

"Earth."

"Earth?" Ellis raises a quizzical eyebrow.

Just as April expected. They are no longer on her home planet. "It's a habitual planet," April falters for a moment. "From the Milky Way galaxy."

"And what's your purpose here?"

April shakes her head. "I...I don't know."

"I see," Ellis says, sounding unconvinced. "I'm going to ask you one more time. _What_ are you?"

The questions hits April for the second time and she understands. "The Ice Girl."

Silence fills the room and suddenly the tense atmosphere drops. Ellis' posture relaxes as he takes up the closest seat near April. He slouches in it, still studying April. Ellis knew he did recognise her when he first saw her on his doorstep. But April has to know how he knows. Because if Ellis knows of her, than there must be other people on this Island that will also know of her.

"Thought you would never show your face." Ellis says calmly.

"I hoped I never would." April replies dully. And that definitely isn't a lie. Visiting the setting of her own nightmare is the last place April wishes to be.

"And the Lost Brother?"

This title given to April's brother by the Cytracik, angers her. "Max," she snaps. "His name is Max. He is not just a token from that..." she stops and composes herself, seeing the surprised look on Ellis' face. "He's around."

Ellis nods. April makes a mental note to herself that Ellis is very clear with his facial expressions. It would seem that whatever emotion he is feeling or what he is thinking can clearly be seen on his face.

Amelia comes up to them with two steaming cups on tea. She places one on the small coffee table next to April and gives her father the other. April, ignoring her tea, watches the way Amelia forces herself onto the armchair with her dad. She is so small she fits comfortably. Ellis smiles, kisses his daughter on her head as he thanks her for his tea. Amelia lets out a little giggle, but stops abruptly when she catches April's eye. She then looks at her father.

"I can hear her again," Amelia says quietly, almost inaudible. "Mummy. I can hear her through the walls. I think she wants help."

Ellis chuckles and squeezes his daughter's hand before looking at April. "She thinks she can hear her mother speak sometimes. I guess she's still struggling to come to terms with this." Ellis looks at Amelia who gives April a sideways glance.

There is then a long pause of silence.

"I guess you don't know who I am." Ellis says as he blows on his tea, his dark brown eyes focused on April.

With her hands sitting in her lap, April can suddenly feel them becoming exceedingly sweaty and clammy. She thinks for a moment on whether or not it is such a wise idea to inform Ellis that she dreamed of him. Fancy telling a stranger that they had a dream of them as weak and barely able to stand on their own two feet.

However Ellis smirks and nods his head. April has been silent for too long, contemplating on what is the best thing to say. But her silence is more than enough of an answer for Ellis. As if on cue, Amelia slides off Ellis' lap and moves to sit in front of the empty fireplace. She picks up her doll that has been left on the rug, and starts playing with it.

"Dare I ask how you know of me?" Ellis asks before sipping at his tea. He clasps his mug between both his hands, and his eyes do not move from April. "Do you know me through Heat Miles?" He suggests. "Perhaps a spy? I mean you could be. But unfortunately I know very little of you but your title and your place in the Battle of the Cytracik."

"You know of it?" April's voice breaks as she says it.

Ellis shrugs. "I guess I do. But I am one of very few on this Island who do."

The more Ellis speaks about the Battle of the Cytracik, the more April feels like she can trust him.

"It's a nightmare." April suddenly blurts out, her words completely tumbling out of her mouth. There is no point in denying about her nightmare any longer for she is at said place.

"Sorry?" Ellis asks.

April feels her sweaty hands tremble in her lap as she builds up the courage to tell Ellis everything – a man who is still a stranger to her. She never had the guts to talk about her nightmare to her close friends.

"The Cytracik gave me this nightmare after my father opened it," she takes in a shaky breath and does all she can to pull herself together. "I dream about this lighthouse on a beach," she can see a look of recognition and understanding flicker across Ellis' face as she speaks. "The lighthouse flashes five times before this shadow gets me."

"So it is true," Ellis says. "The Ice Girl is the only one who has seen the Black Lighthouse flash five times."

"Piss off." She mutters under her breath but Ellis still hears. He laughs.

April looks down at her unwanted mug of tea on the coffee table next to her. She keeps her hands in her lap. As she speaks about her nightmare, the shadow just over her shoulder seems ever more prominent.

"And how do you know me?" The look on Ellis' face is of intrigue.

April sighs. "It changed. One day my nightmare was on you and your daughter. She was older."

The corners of Ellis' mouth twitches. "So you've seen my future?"

"Possible future." April says curtly.

"What's it like?" Ellis presses on.

April stares at Ellis for a while. Again he is asking her questions she does not want to answer. The Ellis she saw in her nightmare was weak, deeply affected by life on this Island. He was angry, bitter and desperate to not let his daughter to go to the Black Lighthouse. How can she tell him what is to become of him?

"Come on," Ellis says. "Could it really be worse than me still grieving for my wife five years after her death?"

Ellis says nothing about the pinched look on April's face. But Ellis' words have settled April's mind. Amelia must be about ten years old now for in her nightmare she was around fifteen. Her nightmare was showing her what Ellis' and Amelia's life will be like in five years time from now. What Ellis chooses to do now will impact on whether or not that future will happen. Perhaps if they succeed in this battle and April is free from this prophecy, then Ellis will not have to suffer like he did in her dream, and Amelia wouldn't have to go to the Black Lighthouse.

April sinks lower into the armchair as the facts all sink in. She knows that she has to save this Island in order to save herself.

"Tell me more about the Day of Destruction." April says, changing the subject.

Ellis raises his eyebrows as he looks down at his mug. He changes his position in his seat and clears his throat. However, despite the half smirk on his face, Ellis knows that he is just about to break his vow to Heat Miles.

"What I am about to disclose to you, April, will have me lose my tongue if they are to find out. So it would be kind of you to not repeat this elsewhere. Is that understood?"

April nods. She does not have to ask who he means as _they_.

Ellis takes one glance at the half closed blinds before he speaks. He looks as April in the eyes, less so than he did before. "It's a trick made up to look like heroic sacrifice. The Day of Destruction is so popular now that people think it is going to win them fame if they're the first one's out of the woods. It's a survival of the fittest sort of thing. You volunteer to race into the woods, you destroy whatever is in the woods and then you find your way out. It is a fun race as they like to say, and you only succeed if you're one of the first three to leave the woods. Of course the first is the winner. However some die in the woods. But those who survive and don't leave in time are pulled out of the woods and then live the rest of their lives in shame for not winning the race.

"The Day of Destruction is a trick made by Heat Miles. And this year is the fifth year anniversary. It's so popular that it makes idiots on this Island actually want to take part. More than anything, this apparent race is a fight for power – just like this battle is. Obviously what lurks in those out-of-bounds woods is something top secret, but I know that it is all man-made traps created by Heat Miles. They say it's deadly but it is not. Heat Miles in fact chooses who wins the race. And they only kill the volunteers if they come close to finding out the truth. Make it out that their death was an act of heroism. Bullshit I say," Ellis gulps down the rest of his tea. "Only a small handful of us understand the Day of Destruction for what it really is. The only ten of us who know the truth _and_ are against Heat Miles, are volunteering for the race this year. But we're not doing it for the fame, we're doing to for the Battle of the Cytracik and to stop the Black Lighthouse from coming alive. We have a feeling that this year we may not be fighting the man made traps in the woods. We know that we will be battling against whatever threatens to get to the Cytracik. All the time I was working for Heat Miles, I learnt about the Cytracik and how they made this race in preparation for this battle. And I know that this is the year when the battle will commence. That is why myself and our revolution are volunteering. And Heat Miles can kill all ten of us in the woods if they want because we know the truth. We are doing this to save the Ice Girl and the Lost Brother from that prophecy."

"You what?" April snaps.

"The thing is," Ellis continues, ignoring April. "Us ten volunteers, we're trying to have a revolution against Heat Miles. The rest of the Island looks to Heat Miles like they are some sort of saints. But we're the ones who are aware that the whole universe is on its way to the Island right now, just for the Cytracik. And I can only assume that we'll be fighting whatever is showing up in the woods. Like I said this is the fifth year anniversary of the Day of Destruction. It has been five years since the Black Lighthouse first came alive. We're not volunteering this year for fame like everyone thinks we are. We are doing this to end the Battle of the Cytracik."

"Then I volunteer." April insists.

"You can't," Ellis says flatly. "There are only ten volunteers for this and the spaces have already been filled up," Ellis pauses for a moment. "I think I am number eight on the list of volunteers."

"I won't let you do it."

Ellis chuckles but then there is a horrible silence that fills the air. Then April speaks.

"So you're here to celebrate my nightmare?"

"It is a risk more than anything," Ellis lets out a breath and looks down at his shoes somewhat guiltily. "What do you know of this Island?"

"Nothing more than the beach." April's voice is cold and flat.

"What's your name again?" Ellis asks, looking at April in the eye again.

"April."

Ellis smiles. "April. This revolution. Us volunteers. We are doing this to save you. To save both you and your brother from the prophecy the Cytracik gave you."

April's scowl deepens. Often she has heard the mention of her prophecy but she now realises that she does not actually know what the prophecy says.

"This fight for power," Ellis continues. "This fight for greed, it is inhumane! Those shape shifters started this battle because they wanted that power of opening the Cytracik. The Daleks got involved to fight for it. The Doctor and UNIT and your parents got involved to stop it but fat lot of good that did. Instead the battle has been put on temporary hold because of your prophecy. It has been waiting for the moment the universe turns up to fight for it," Ellis pauses and takes in a few deep breaths for his anger has started to rise. "The whole universe is on its way here right now to see the end of this battle. Not everything, however, will be on our side as I am sure many would like to see the Doctor fall."

April glares at Ellis, feeling slightly taken aback from the sudden mention of both UNIT and the Doctor. This man knows far more than she suspected and for a brief moment, she does not know if trusting him is the best thing to do.

"Whose side are you on?" April asks sternly.

Ellis looks at her blankly, mild bewilderment on his face. "I thought I have made myself clear. I am on your side."

"Yes but the Doctor is with me and we are to do anything to make sure that he stays alive. Is that understood?"

There is a moment of silence as Ellis continues to stare at April, a little stunned by her desperation to save the Doctor. Ellis nods, understanding exactly what April is thinking: she will not trust anything that will come as a threat to the Doctor.

"April," Ellis starts calmly. "Do you really think that I am going to kill a man I do not know? A man who I have always strongly believed was a legend until ten minutes ago when you showed your face," he pauses briefly, watching April's reaction to see if there might be a twitch of hate or mistrust, but she continues to scowl at him. "Of course I'll do anything I can to save him," Ellis stops once more to look over at Amelia who is still sitting in front of the fireplace, playing with her doll. "I have to do it for her," he says in a low voice. "She's growing up without her mother. I want her to have a brighter future away from all of this."

The image of a weak Ellis flashes across April's mind again. "If we win this battle, you both will have a brighter future."

Ellis smiles and looks back at April. "And so will you, April."

The thought of her own future makes April feel rather defenceless. The only time April really felt she had a future was back in the parallel world. The time when she believed she could work with UNIT and spend more time loving Will. But then the Doctor's truthful words rings in her ears: UNIT is dead. They died at the start of the Battle of the Cytracik. A part of her wishes she could know exactly what happened on the day her parents died. But as soon as the horrible guilt she feels for leaving Will Sullivan, April quickly changes the subject.

"So I've been honest to you about my nightmare."

"A nightmare in your head." Ellis says dully.

"You have said nothing about how you know me."

Immediately Ellis looks uncomfortable. He looks at April, contemplating for a long time before he stands up. At first April looks away, feeling like she must have struck a nerve.

"This is something confidential," he says quietly. "It is something she cannot hear of." Ellis then walks over to his daughter and kisses her head.

April remains in the armchair and listens to him as he tells Amelia that he is on a walk.

"We'll be gone no longer than half an hour," Ellis says, striding across the living room, and taking his coat from the coat stand. "If it rings, don't answer the phone, don't answer the door. And don't peer out of the windows. You know the drill," Ellis places a cap on his head and zips up his coat, almost concealing his face. "You coming or what?"

April stands up, takes one look at Amelia before following Ellis out the back door. She can't help but notice the way Ellis seems to be constantly fiddling with a ring on his left pinky finger.

The moment April steps outside, she can feel the cold, bitter air and the wind blows. She wishes that she had remembered to pick up a coat or something, but after seeing a spirit in her bedroom in the Tardis while in Manchester, going back to that room is one of the last things April plans on doing. Instead she pulls down the thick sleeves to her white hoodie over her hands.

Yet the moment April thinks about that spirit, memories from Manchester come flooding back to her. All of a sudden she is haunted again. She remembers herself and Max being separated during the Devil's maze. She remembers seeing the withered bodies of the Doctor and Terry. She watched them die, just like she had watched her parallel mother die...

"You need to stop doing that." Ellis says as he passes her, walking up the garden.

April scowls and looks at Ellis. "Doing what?" She calls back to him, feeling very defenceless.

Ellis smirks as he turns to look at her. "Leave the past where it is. It's not going to help you at all." He turns back and then climbs over the back fence. He jumps and lands on the grass to the field next to the bungalow. Without saying anything, April follows him, climbing over the fence and ignoring his offered hand to help her over.

The music in the distance April heard earlier seems louder now.

Ellis marches through the fields, many of them are crop fields. He passes through different gates to get to the next field, and he waits until there is a good distance between them and his house and the main road which can just about be seen ahead of them. Cars pass up and down the road but here in the middle of the fields seems to be the best place to talk without being overheard. If there is anyone around to listen in, they will be seen.

"I used to work for Heat Miles," Ellis eventually admits as they slow their walking pace. "When my wife was killed by that shadow in your nightmare five years ago, Heat Miles took me under their wing. I had to work for them so that I would not step out of line from this society," Ellis digs his hands deep in his coat pockets and April pulls her fists into her thick hoodie sleeves. "The reason why I know you and your title is because I have been working with them for five years."

"Is Rodger Barratt here?" April asks carefully.

"He runs Heat Miles. Our Major. He's being elected as King of this Island."

April cringes at the thought of Rodger taking over this Island and Ellis gives her a sideways glance.

"I have quit my job with Heat Miles," Ellis continues. "I quit earlier this year, about five months ago because I knew that I wouldn't be allowed to volunteer for the Day of Destruction if I was still working there," Ellis then laughs quietly to himself. "I am sure seeing my name of the list of volunteers came quite a shock to them."

"And how did the nine other volunteers agree to creating a revolution?"

"Because they're my friends. They're the only ones who would hear me out. They are the only ones who believed me when I told them how much of a fix the Day of Destruction is. It's like a warm up for the real battle."

As they walk on, April remembers the amount of times she has been told that they have to get Heat Miles on their side. She was never told why they have to befriend this company. But April knows with Rodger Barratt running Heat Miles, it will be impossible.

"Do you know what Heat Miles stands for?" April asks.

_Time Heals_. The phrase runs through her mind but Ellis acts like he has not heard her question.

They continue to walk along the field, getting closer and closer towards the main road. The closer they get, the louder the voices of a large crowd and music gets. April can feel the vibrations of the music through the soil under her feet.

They stop at the main road and look back at the fields. There is a tiny brown dot in the far distance and April knows that's where Ellis' cottage is. On the side of the road, where April and Ellis stand, is a large wooden sign that rests by a street lamp. Painted on the wooden sign are careless directions pointing to the DoD fifth year festival.

April was right. There is a festival and they are celebrating her nightmare.

"This is where I leave you, April." Ellis says, watching April as she reads the sign. "I strongly advise you to go to the festival. Have a look around. Learn something. I am sure that going there will benefit you more than not going at all. I trust you April to keep my secret safe. They will cut my tongue if they find out I told you about Heat Miles. I'll be even more trouble because you're the Ice Girl. Actually they'll probably kill me for that," Ellis smirks at the angry look on April's face every time he mentions her title. "Take care, April. I'll see you later."

With that, Ellis turns on his heel and starts walking back through the field. However, only a few steps away from her, he turns back to April when she calls after him. At first she looks lost for words.

"I'm sorry for the loss of your wife." April eventually says.

Ellis nods once and turns to go again.

April glances back at the painted sign and decides that she will go to the festival. However as she looks up again, Ellis is no where in sight.


	5. IV - Festival

**IV  
Festival**

_The Island  
__Cul-de-sac_

"You know this is the exact reason why I don't like the idea of letting anyone go off and do whatever they want when we travel!" The Doctor snaps when they realise that April is no longer there with them. "April has disappeared somewhere! For all I know she could be trying to wrestle Rodger Barratt or something!"

Rose frowns at the Doctor as she folds her arms. She has never seen the Doctor get this irritated over something as minor as this before. She knows that the Doctor never likes to split up – it seems to cause more trouble – yet he has never reacted this way before. It is almost as if the Doctor wants to complain about everything April does. Is he sulking? Rose doesn't know. He seems far too distant.

"Doctor, calm down!" Rose orders, pulling his attention to her. "It's not like we're trying to change history or anything. This is April we're talking about and the future of the universe," Rose sighs heavily, looking at the Doctor in the eye as he looks down at her. "What exactly did Jack Gruntler say to you to put you in such a foul mood? Since you returned to pick us up, you've not once looked at April in the eye."

There is a moment of silence between them. The children in the road continue to sing _Oranges and Lemons_ and play games. The Doctor looks over to Terry as if needing support, but she busies herself with her handheld device. The Doctor then glances at his feet, feeling Rose's gaze on him. He does not want to mention anything that Jack told him. Not right now anyway.

Max watches the Doctor carefully but says nothing upon the matter.

Terry's handheld device suddenly bleeps loudly and everyone's attention turns to her. Terry's brow furrows as she presses a few buttons.

"This Island is holding a festival," Terry states. "It's held at the large field by the out-of-bounds woods," she says this matter-of-fact, before looking up at her friends. "I guess we should pay it a little visit."

It is as if there is a sudden, silent mutual agreement between them as they all start to move, heading towards the exit of the cul-de-sac. Terry leads them, followed closely by Rose. The Doctor looks at Max for a long while.

"Don't get any ideas about running after your sister." The Doctor warns in a low voice, pointing at him before following Terry.

"I am sure she is fine." Max replies indifferently, also following pursuit.

The four unknown travellers to this Island leave the cul-de-sac, the children's singing voices getting quieter the further they walk on.

Out on the main road, the autumn air seems more chilly than it did while surrounded by houses, but Terry presses on. They walk eastward along the main road with the cliff to their right. Cars pass them along the road and once more, Rose starts to feel rather self conscious about people passing in their cars. For an Island with so little citizens in, surely word will spread quickly about these new comers. Especially if they are the first from the universe to arrive. They will be easy targets.

The main road takes them along the perimeter of the village. To their left are many different roads leading off to different neighbourhoods and roads leading to shops, flats and offices. Getting closer towards the village centre, the more the village seems like a city.

The main road turns to the left slightly, facing away from the cliff. On either side of the road are tall, buildings taking on the forms of shops and flats. As they reach closer to the town centre, the Doctor can't quite help but think to himself that Heat Miles do not seem as trustworthy as Jack Gruntler wants to make them out to be. They have gone through a lot of effort to make this Island seem completely normal. Almost too normal.

Terry takes a sharp left into a high street. They walk on a cobbled pathway. Shops are on either side of the high street and down the centre are many ornamental trees and park benches. The high street is buzzing alive with people walking in and out of shops, standing on the corner chatting to friends or simply just marching through. But without hesitation, Terry continues to walk on.

Halfway down the high street on their left, they reach the entrance to a shopping centre. Terry silently turns and passes through the glass double doors. She narrowly misses the people that exit through the same door. As they walk along the white marble flooring, keeping their heads low to not attract any unwanted attention from the shoppers, they start to notice the posters. Posters that are pinned to pillars, stuck up in shop windows and left scattered on the floor. Each one advertising the Day of Destruction.

Without further ado, the Doctor scoops down and picks a poster from the floor. He walks on, following Terry as he holds the poster between his hands. He then looks down with his eyes and feels a shiver run down his spine. The poster looks as if it could be advertising a new blockbuster Hollywood film.

The Doctor then folds the poster into quarters and tucks it away in the inside pocket of his coat.

As they walk on, Terry can't help but notice how all the shoppers seem to be getting on with their day-to-day lives as if they are completely clueless about the whole universe being on its way to this Island for battle. She expected there to be panic or at least higher security. She expected the place to be flooded with shape shifters on security duty or something. But everyone is acting like nothing is going to happen. They're acting like they know they'll wake up the next day for certain. But like Rose said before, it is a normal day, no storm. This worries Terry and they should all be concerned.

Terry, still walking on, turns back to look at the Doctor. The Doctor reads the blank expression on Terry's face and nods, understanding what she is thinking. He must change the hiding place of the Cytracik.

They walk deeper and deeper into the shopping centre and after a while, Max starts to fall back. As part of the Cytracik's punishment on the twins, Max is slowly dying from tuberculosis, whereas April is suffering from this Island. Although the Doctor has been able to extend his life with his medication, Max knows that nothing will stop this disease from killing him off. Maybe the end of this battle might do it. But Max has a hunch that they may not win this battle.

Max finds that he cannot keep up with the fast pace the others are at. Sweat starts to pour down his face and he feels his chest tighten, making it even more difficult for him to breathe. Max pulls at the collar of his shirt, but his breaths are only short and raspy.

Rose eventually stops walking and turns to find Max way behind. He has stopped walking, clutching at his chest, evidently trying to breathe in deeply.

"Shoot." Rose hisses under her breath as she runs back to Max. His face is red and Rose can see him trying his best to not start coughing up blood. Right now, the last thing they need is to make a scene and draw everyone's attention to them. Rose pulls out a small pot of pills from her jean pocket and passes two pills to Max who takes them gratefully and swallows them whole.

Rose waits a moment as Max's face slowly turns back to its original colour and his breathing becomes steady again. Max straightens his posture and wipes the sweat off his forehead.

"Thank you." Max manages to say, feeling his lungs take in as much air as they need.

"No worries," Rose replies, still looking as concerned as ever. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Max lies. "it's fine. We'd better go."

Just like his sister, Rose knows that he is only lying to protect his friends. They both have a habit of making situations seem better than they actually are. But nonetheless, Rose nods and remains by Max's side as they eventually catch up with Terry and the Doctor.

They leave the shopping centre through the back entrance and find themselves in a large car park that is packed full of cars. Hanging above them are rows and rows of different coloured buntings flapping in the wind. However what grabs their attention is not the car park, or the security guards checking for parking tickets, but it is the music and a loud roar of a crowd somewhere in the near distance.

By the sound of it the festival is in full swing and perhaps nearly all citizens of this Island are there celebrating.

The Doctor takes the lead and they squeeze through the parked cars until they find the exit of the car park, leading out to the main road. There is a wooden sign leaning against a lamppost. Painted on the wooden sign are badly spelt instructions. They are currently standing in the overflow parking space and that the festival is another half a mile walk north along the main road.

The Doctor glances over the wooden sign and can see many different groups of people walking along the side of the road. Some are walking to the festival and some are walking back to the overflow car park. However no one seems to notice, the Doctor, Terry, Rose or Max. Perhaps going to places where it is busier might be a good way from them to blend in with the crowd and hide.

They start walking along the main road, heading north. The music and the booming crowd becomes louder and louder the closer they get. And through the mist they can just about see the top of a forest.

Max feels the cold, autumnal air burning his throat every time he breathes in. With his jacket zipped up securely and his arms folded tightly across his chest, Max briefly glances back to where they have just come from. The large shopping centre looks out of place on the Island as just behind it, Max can see the hills of Ebernie.

Max halts on the spot when he notices it.

Through the mist, just in a gap between the hills, smoke rises. A thick grey smoke rises into the air and every so often, there is a flick of fire spurting from what must be some sort of bonfire. However Max can't quiet identify the strange and somewhat horrific smell that occasionally passes through the breeze.

A car speeds past Max, the rush of air nearly knocking him off his feet, and his attention is suddenly taken away from the smoke in the hills. The Doctor, Terry and Rose are further up the road and Max starts jogging to catch up with them.

The festival is located on a large oval field along the edge of the woods north of the Island. They find their way through the pack car park, squeezing through cars to get towards the entrance.

There is a buzz of excitement in the air like there would be at a music festival. Yet for the Doctor, Rose, Terry and Max, they do not feel the excitement the citizens do. As they pass through the car park, they find a waist-high wooden fence that runs along the perimeter of the field. And the field is busy.

There is no telling how big the field is as their view is blocked by many different stalls and hundreds of excited people. Somewhere in the centre of the field can be seen the roof of a rather large stage which is where the live music is coming from.

The Doctor, now leading the way, takes them along the wooden fence towards the entrance. There is an open gate that is being used as an exit as well as an entrance. There is a table on the right hand side of the gate. A female security guard sits at the table, scanning valid entry tickets and stamping the back of visitors hands with a black marker. The stamp leaves a perfect black square on the visitors skin.

Holding his hand up to halt their group, the Doctor stops walking and watches the guard allowing the visitors to enter. There are two shape shifters standing at either side of the gate, staring at everyone who passes, through their blue fencing helmets. No one seems at all scared or threatened by the shape shifters, almost like they are around most of the time. The female security guard wears a lilac jacket with reflective silver strips running over the chest and shoulders.

"How do we get in?" Rose asks quietly from behind the Doctor.

The Doctor reaches for the inside pocket of his coat and pulls out his psychic paper. "No problem." He replies dully.

"Not such a good idea." Terry says, not even glancing at the psychic paper.

"Yeah well it's worth a try."

As the Doctor makes his way towards the entrance, Terry opens her mouth to protest but thinks better of it. Instead she follows him.

The two shape shifters suddenly start to advance towards these newcomers, but the Doctor turns to the woman behind the table, ignoring them. Without a word, the Doctor passes the psychic paper to the woman behind the desk who studies it, looking down her nose.

Rose, who stands very close behind the Doctor's shoulder links a finger around one of the Doctor's, aware of how close the two shape shifters are getting.

The woman behind the desk looks from the psychic paper to the Doctor, back down to the paper, then to Terry, once more to the paper and then to Max. She sighs and passes the psychic paper back to the Doctor.

"And what business has the Major sent you out on? Have Heat Miles not done everything already?" Her voice is bored and rather distant.

"Err, no," The Doctor says, tucking the psychic paper back into his pocket. "I am afraid it is strictly private business. The Major would be very displeased if we are to announce this. But not to worry, nothing serious is happening. Just slight precautions and we'll be one a way back soon."

The woman behind the desk frowns as she stares up at the Doctor. Something flitters across her face. A look of mistrust and disbelief. Terry, however, notices the two shape shifters, one of whom seems to be glancing around the festival almost as if looking for any signs of danger.

"I'm letting you into the festival free of charge, but I'm only letting you in for limited time. The Major will have to come down to speak to me if he disapproves. He should have informed us about this visit earlier," the woman says, leaning back in her seat. "How long are you going to be?"

The Doctor falters a moment but does not take his eyes of the woman looking up at him with her dark eyes. Terry glanced to the Doctor, mentally nudging him to say something.

"An hour." The Doctor replies firmly.

"Then an hour it is," The woman smirks. "If you are doing what you say you are doing, then you will do as you say. If you understand my gist."

"Understood." The Doctor replies.

The woman then gestures to the shape shifters to let them in.

The Doctor takes a step forward, ready to walk into the field but one of the shape shifters stops him. It holds up a square, metallic, silver device that shines a bright blue light out the end. The shape shifter scans the Doctor in look for weapons or any other threatening devices. The other turns to Terry and does the same.

The female security guard sitting at the desk watches these Heat Miles guests being scanned over. She then tuts to herself when the Doctor is ordered to remove his sonic screwdriver. Seconds later Terry has to hand in her handheld device. Rose and Max pass the scan safely.

The female security guards pulls out a tin box and places the sonic screwdriver and Terry's handheld device inside. She then locks the box with a padlock.

"Just for good measure," she says. "You'll be given these back when you leave." With that, she hides the tin box under her desk and turns to the next group of people waiting to have their already paid tickets scanned.

The Doctor suddenly starts to feel at a loss without his sonic screwdriver. Like a baby who has had their favourite blanket taken from them. But the Doctor passes the shape shifters, staring straight ahead as they enter the festival.

The festival is packed full of people and the area is filled with many different food stalls, carnival games and rides. Over in one corner is a large gather of tents for those who wish to gain the full experience of this festival and camp in this field overnight.

The Doctor, Terry, Rose and Max keep their heads low to not attract any unwanted attention from the villagers. But they seem to blend in very easily as the crowd of people is so dense. Despite the autumn chill, many are dressed in summer, colour attire. And some wear nearly next to nothing. But the majority of these festival goers have coloured their lips in some florescent colour, or have at least painted their face with glitter. Some people have painted their faces with so much glitter that they look rather reptilian.

They stop at a small gap not far from the live music stage in the centre of the field. There is a group of people sat together in camping chairs. They drink from beer cans and laugh at whatever they are talking about. There is one woman wearing a bright pink, cropped wig, who is dancing to the live music. Her eyes are closed, clearly enjoying the moment.

A frown fixes on the Doctor's face as he takes in his surroundings. There is a lot of laughter everywhere. Everyone seems happy and somewhat merrily drunk with life. This really is a celebration of the Day of Destruction. A celebration of the Battle of the Cytracik. But it is as if none of these villagers know what really is going to happen.

The first thing that flitters through the Doctor's mind is wondering what Heat Miles have done to these villagers to make them feel so happy. What even is this festival about?

The Doctor walks on, passing the dancing lady and weaves in and out of the different stalls. Terry's fingers itch as she hangs them loosely at her sides, wishing that she could have her handheld device with her. Rose glances back at Max whose face is irritated. He is not pleased with what he is seeing.

The Doctor stops once more when he finds a betting booth between two burger stalls. There is a long queue of people eagerly waiting to place their bets on who they think out of the ten volunteers is most likely to win the Day of the Destruction.

All of the sudden the Doctor cannot keep in his confusion and frustration out of this festival. "What even is the Day of Destruction?" The Doctor says aloud in agitation. "What are they playing at?"

Rose glances around and the many people around them, passing them as if they are not there. However, she catches the eye of a man hanging around the side of the candyfloss stall. He is a slim man dressed in dark jeans and a checked shirt. His messy, dark brown hair falls in his eyes and he has a thick beard covering his jaw. He leans against the stall with his muscular arms crossed across his chest.

Seconds later, the man starts to stride towards them with a stern look on his face.

Rose is the only one who notices him approaching them, but the man reaches them before she has the chance to warn the Doctor.

"I'm guessing you're not from around here." It's the first thing the man says, addressing directly to the Doctor.

The Doctor stands side-on to the man. He hesitates for a moment before turning his head to look at this man. Yet the man does not react to the glare the Doctor gives him. Then seconds pass before the Doctor pulls out his psychic paper, showing it to this stranger.

"We're on official business." The Doctor says sternly.

However the man does not once glance at the paper that's being shoved in his face. He only looks at the Doctor with a smirk before he starts to laugh.

"You can't fool me." The man says through his laughter.

The Doctor falters again and slowly lowers his arm as he watches this man laugh at him. He flips over the psychic paper to make sure that there isn't a mistake. But the paper clearly shows that they are working with Heat Miles. This suddenly angers the Doctor.

"You do realise our population is a mare two and a half thousand," the man eventually says when he has calmed down. "They will be able to spot newcomers from a mile off. Especially you, Doctor and the Lost Brother." He looks from the Doctor to Max and then back to the Doctor, holding his bewildered yet angry stare.

"Who are you?" The Doctor hisses with narrowed eyes.

The man instantly takes a step back and raises his hands up in surrender as the Doctor makes a threatening step towards him. Rose grips hold of the Doctor's elbow to stop him from doing something he'll regret.

"Look I need you to trust me here, okay," the man says in defence. "I'm here to help you. I'm creating a revolution against the Battle of the Cytracik. I am one of ten doing this. Everyone else on this Island is completely clueless of this. They have no idea that the universe is on its way here right now. Please I am here to help. I'll tell you everything you need and want to know about the Day of Destruction. I just need you to trust me," the man words spill out of his mouth very quickly. "Is that understood?"

There is a long pause of silence as the man and the Doctor stare at one another for a long while. The Doctor does not know if he wants to believe this man.

Everyone around them continue to pass by, but their voices and laughter seem like a distant buzz.

Eventually the Doctor relaxes and the man does so too. Rose releases her grip on the Doctor's arm. She looks up at the man who now seems more friendly than sinister.

"Who are you?" The Doctor asks again.

"Ellis Lustworve," the man replies before looking left to right. "I suggest we go find somewhere hidden."

No one objects to his suggestion. They walk in a group, silently through the festival, passing the stalls and squeezing through the dense crowd in front of the large stage.

They eventually find a quieter area right at the back of the festival. The wooden fence that runs around the perimeter of the festival also creates a strong barrier between the field and the woods. There are a few picnic benches that are empty of people. Only one bench is preoccupied with a couple who are more concerned with each other then what's around them.

Ellis starts leading them towards the picnic bench furthest away from the the couple. There is one right in the corner right beside the fence. However Rose stops mid-step. Her eyes looking straight out to the woods.

The Doctor, who notices this, turns to look back at Rose. He frowns and cocks his head to one side.

"What do you see?" He asks as he joins her.

Rose just points to the woods and instantly the Doctor sees it. Just in the air, between two trees, there is a slight blue mist. Almost as if the air is evidently wavering. The Doctor puts on his black rimmed glasses and narrows his eyes, trying to examine the waver in the air. He only curses to himself, wishing his sonic screwdriver wasn't taken away.

"It's only a forcefield." Terry states flatly when she notices the Doctor and Rose staring.

Ellis Lustworve looks from Rose and the Doctor over to the woods. "The woods are out-of-bounds," he says. "There's a forcefield around it to stop the committed fans of this race from trying to get into the woods. I guess Heat Miles would not want anyone to find out how they trick us."

They all sit down on one park bench. Max and Ellis sit on one side of the bench. The Doctor, Rose and Terry squeeze on the other side, the Doctor in the middle. Ellis drums his fingers on top of the wooden table before explaining everything about the Day of Destruction. He tells them the exact same thing as he is telling April at this precise moment back at his bungalow.

There is then a long pause of silence when he has finished. The Doctor, Rose, Terry and Max trying to digest everything that Ellis has explained.

"So it's a game to put people's lives at risk." The Doctor says flatly.

"To put it that way, yes," Ellis replies. "That's why the ones creating this revolution are volunteering."

The Doctor rolls his tongue around the inside of his mouth in thought. "I don't think it'll be wise to tell April this. It'll only upset her."

Ellis quickly clears his throat in guilt, knowing full well that he is in fact back at his home, telling her everything right now.

"Well she's going to find out anyway." Max says in defence of his sister. However he looks at Ellis suspiciously who looks down at the table, fiddling with a ring on his left pinky.

Ellis takes in a deep breath before speaking again. "Heat Miles are creating some sort of weapon. I don't know what it is. But they have a soundproof cell underground where they store it. I'm afraid they'll use it for this battle," Ellis chuckles to himself. "There are a lot of things they kept a secret. Most of the workers are clueless. But they never fooled me. I knew from the start that the Day of Destruction is something in the build up to this moment. They have known that the end of the Battle of the Cytracik will revolve around this Island."

"Did Heat Miles create this Island?" Max asks.

"No the prophecy did. Including the beach and the lighthouse," The Doctor answers. "I assume Heat Miles only created this village."

Ellis nods.

Rose frowns as she suddenly remembers their trip to Manchester. "1775," she starts. "Heat Miles were known as the scoundrels of Manchester. Everyone was scared of them."

"Heat Miles had a lot of difficulties when they first started, but Rodger Barratt always kept them in form." Ellis says as he picks at the chipped wood on the table.

"What is there to celebrate?" Terry asks nodding her head towards the festival.

Ellis shrugs. "Nothing. This festival is just to make everyone excited for the race. I'm sure my old boss is rather nervous about the whole universe coming here just for the Cytracik."

"I refuse to let anything take the Cytracik," the Doctor says sternly. "We have no hope if those shape shifters get their hands on it."

"Then I suppose you'd better find more of a secure hiding place for it then, Doctor."

Ellis and the Doctor stare at each other for a long moment in an awkward silence. However the Doctor is the first to break eye contact as he looks out to the woods to his left.

Ellis sighs. "I am on your side. In this battle you need as many on your side as you can get."

"When exactly is the date of the Day of Destruction?" Rose asks. "Because I am sure the day it starts is the day the Battle of the Cytracik continues."

"The gunfire to start the race will be fired at four o'clock in the afternoon on Halloween."

The Doctor, Terry and Rose exchange knowing glances, all realising the same thing. Halloween was the date in which the Cytracik was first discovered.

During this silence, Ellis pulls out a packet of cigarettes and lights one. He is fully aware of the others watching him. His face illuminates from the flame of the lighter. Then smoke fills the air as he takes in the first drag.

"You should go somewhere to find cover," Ellis says with the cigarette between his lips as he looks to Max sitting next to him. "Right now you are the first to arrive. The first from the universe. You will be found easily."

"I see you have met Ellis." Says a voice that comes from just behind the Doctor, Rose and Terry.

Rose jumps in fright at the voice, but the Doctor only glares down at the table. Ellis looks over the Doctor's head to see Jack Gruntler and Joseph Hollerford. When no one says anything, Jack moves to stand by the head of the table so that his presence can be seen by all.

The Doctor eventually looks up at Jack with reluctance. "How long have you been here?" He asks with bitterness.

"We arrived five weeks before you," Jack replies indifferently. "Enough time to settle down and blend into this Island. And to announce our arrival to Heat Miles," Jack pauses for a moment as he looks down at the muddy grass beneath his feet. "Rodger Barratt seems very ecstatic about my being here. He has even invited me to his invite-only party tonight," Jack then drops five different cream envelopes onto the picnic table. "He must know you are already here."

Max reaches for the envelopes. Printed on each one with black ink is each of their names: Doctor, Terry, Rose, Max and April. Without saying anything, Max hands out the envelopes and they simultaneously open them. Jack shuffles on the spot and glances over to Joseph who catches his eye.

There is silence as they all read their invitation from Rodger Barratt personally inviting them to his party at his mansion this very evening. Ellis is automatically invited to this party as not only as Heat Miles alumni, but also a volunteer for the Day of Destruction.

However it is clear that this badly spelt and grammatically incorrect invitation is not written by Rodger Barratt himself, but by Lucien, the team leader, on his behalf. The Doctor is the first to speak.

"For God's sake." He hisses as folds his invitation.

"He can't even spell procedure." Max mutters.

"Who does he think he is?" The Doctor then snaps. "After everything he did, what makes him think that we will be willing to turn up to this?"

"I strongly advise that we go," Jack Gruntler says. "I insist that we do. We have to show what side we are on in this battle and show where we stand among all of this. It is our opportunity to grab our allies while we can," Jack looks at the Doctor. "Rodger Barratt is putting a lot of trust in us by inviting us to his home," Jack then takes a step away from them. "Rodger Barratt will be the centre of attention tonight as he is seen as the King of this Island. I would have a nose around his mansion while you have the chance." Jack nods to Ellis before he turns to walk away.

For a brief moment, Joseph remains standing at the head of the picnic table as he looks down at his grandson. However Max shows no sign of wanting to look at him. Joseph eventually leaves and follows Jack.

There is another long silence. Rose sits there awkwardly by the Doctor, not enjoying this tension, while the Doctor stares angrily down at his invitation.

Max breaks the silence by standing up.

"I'm going to look for my sister." He says.

"No," The Doctor replies sternly before looking up at Max. "I insist that we should stay together. No more splitting up!"

Max rolls his eyes as he steps away from the picnic bench. "Doctor, I have to reunite with my sister. She needs us now more than anything and I have to be there for her."

"Max, don't do this!" The Doctor snaps. "Just sit down. I won't let you go."

Max looks down at the Doctor with amusement. "This is mine and my sister's prophecy. Not yours," he says simply as he walks backwards.

"Maxwell, come back here!" The Doctor is now on his feet. It is not anger they can hear in the Doctor's voice but fear; pure terror. "We don't have time for this!"

Terry sighs heavily.

"Do you want April roaming around her nightmare on her own when we all know that she is not in the right head space?" Max shakes his head and then suddenly feel sympathetic towards the Doctor, knowing how afraid he is of things going wrong. "I'll meet you at the cul-de-sac at six o'clock. Then we can go to the party together. I promise, Doctor. I just need to make sure that my sister is okay." With that Max turns and disappears into the festival.

"Max!" The Doctor calls back, climbing over the picnic bench, ready to run after him. But the toe of his trainers catches on the edge of the seat and he stumbles. By the time the Doctor regains his balance, Max has already gone. He run his fingers through his hair like he always does when scared or frustrated.

"Doctor," comes Rose's voice. "What _was_ it Jack told you before we got here?"

The Doctor sharply turns around to face them. However his eyes does not meet with Rose's, nor do they meet Terry's. Instead they look over to Ellis.

Only that Ellis is no longer there with them.

That side of the bench is completely empty of both Max and Ellis.

"Where did he go?" Rose asks, searching the area around them. But it is as if he has completely vanished into thin air.

Terry leans across the picnic bench as she notices something that has been carved into the bench. There is no telling if this carving has been recently done or has been there for a while. But the words make no sense whatsoever.

With a curious frown on his face, the Doctor walks over to where Ellis was sitting only moments before when he sees the words carved onto the table's surface.

_THE BL VOID_.


	6. V - The spark of a revolution

**V  
The spark of a revolution**

_The Island  
__The Festival_

April skids in the mud but manages to regain her balance, stopping herself falling onto the wet grass. With her hood up over her head, she tries her best to keep a low profile. Yet falling over in the mud will be enough to grab everyone's attention. She grits her teeth, mentally telling herself to be careful where she treads.

As she reaches the field where the festival is being held, April very quickly discovers that there is only one entrance into this festival. This one entrance also seems to be used as an exit too.

April stands back and watches this one-in and one-out system they seem to have. However April's attention is drawn to the two shape shifters standing by the gates, watching every person that is allowed entry. Dread runs through April and yet not one person flinches at the sight of these shape shifters. There is a female security guard sitting by a table, scanning tickets. A couple of times this female security guard takes some money and passes a ticket to someone.

April fumbles around in her jean pocket and pulls out a small handful of coins, hoping that she can get away with paying for a ticket on the door with what little change she has. However April only pulls out coppers and the odd ten pence. Nothing that will be of use.

Before April has the chance to do anything else, a small child bumps straight into the back of her. The child is laughing, running away from his friends. He briefly apologises to April, ignoring the copper coins that fly out of her hands and disappear into the muddy grass. He runs away just as three of his friends start to chase after him.

Cursing under her breath in frustration, April desperately scans the grass in hope to find any signs of her lost coins but there is none. Instead she finds herself being watched by one of the shape shifters by the gate. She knows that she has to move elsewhere.

Pulling her hood further over her head, April starts to walk alongside the fence around the outside of the festival. She passes a few people along the way but no one seems to take much notice of her. The excitement around the festival is so strong no one seems to notice anyone.

April makes sure that there is enough distance between herself and the entrance and that she is completely out of sight from it. She makes sure that there are no other shape shifters or security guards around to see her, before she jumps over the fence. Placing a hand firmly on the top arm of the wooden fence, she swings her legs over with ease and lands steadily on both her feet on the other side.

There is a sudden difference in the air on this side of the fence, and for a moment, April feels rooted to the spot. The air here is chilly and yet there is no breeze like there was on the other side.

April slowly turns back around and takes a look at the car park in the near distance on the other side of the fence. She can see the wind ruffling in the trees and yet she cannot feel it. Nor can she hear it. All that can be heard is the live music and the excited voices and laughter from behind the stalls. She steps back towards the fence and reaches her hand over to the other side.

She sees it only a second before it happens.

April suddenly feels a sharp jolt of electricity bounce from her right hand and she is immediately thrown backwards off her feet. She lands heavily on her backside in the muddy grass, just hitting the back of a stall.

There is a ringing in April's ears and she is suddenly reminded of the explosion in Piccadilly Circus. She wrapped her arms his waist as she pulled Aaron Brimikawood down to the ground just as the Dalek King's bomb hit the ground right beside them. Shrapnel flew over their heads moments before she passed out. And then April found herself waking up in the spare bedroom of her parallel parent's house.

The dark images of the Piccadilly Circus becomes obscured from bright light. April squints her eyes as her vision returns. The grey sky suddenly seems so bright compared to her recent memory.

Soon the view of the fence, the car park, the grey sky and the muddy grass beneath her all comes flooding back.

And then she sees it.

The waver in the air just above the fence.

A forcefield.

And because she only noticed it a moment too late, she is now dealing with the consequence. Her right arm that was hit by the electricity tingles with pain and aches as she wriggles her fingers.

April eventually finds the energy to get back on her feet. Her arm aches badly but she focuses on the waver in the air.

So that's why everything suddenly feels so enclosed inside this festival. April knew that she felt a change of air the moment she jumped over the fence. But why there is a forcefield around this festival makes no sense. She managed to get in safely. But how can she get out?

Instead April pulls her hood over her head again and heads further inland of the festival. She wants to make sense of this place and this horrific celebration.

As she walks, she examines her right hand that made contact with the forcefield. To her surprise, she can easily move her hand and her fingers, despite the pain. There are no burns visible on her skin. However the veins in her hand are exceptionally prominent.

Someone knocks April's shoulder as they pass, not really noticing her. April hides her hand in her hoodie pocket and takes a look around her settings. Around her are many food stalls and people covered in glitter. April watches a family laughing together and the children running around their older relatives. April is disgusted at the people all around her. How can they be so happy and celebrate the one thing April fears the most?

April keeps her head low as she pushes past these people. Their chatter and laughter buzz in her ears like annoying flies. April's breaths are short and rapid as she picks up her pace. It takes every bit of her to not run and hide somewhere.

Then out of nowhere an overwhelmingly tired sensation overcomes April. She knows that she never sleeps. But now she is here on this Island, she has a constant throbbing headache and is suddenly overcome with exhaustion. Her lack of sleep has really caught up with her this time. But what will happen if she sleeps while on this Island? Will her nightmare still be the same?

Not far from where April is standing there is a betting booth. There is a large crowd of people hanging around this booth. Some queue up and put their money down, betting on who out of the ten volunteers is most likely to win this race.

April stands not too far from this crowd, but close enough for her to hear and not make it look obvious. They all say different names and April has no idea who they are. Ellis Lustworve seems to be overlooked. One man mentions Ellis as a contender, but the other men disagree and say that he won't last a minute in the woods. It is clear how none of these men are aware of this revolution Ellis mentioned.

For a moment April wants to defend Ellis and interrupt their debate. Ellis is strong, not like in her nightmare. She knows that. But she thinks better of it. Instead she picks up a flyer someone must have dropped on the floor and scuttles away. She finds a quiet spot behind a burger van and flicks through the flyer.

Inside there are ten black and white head shots of this year's volunteers, Including Ellis. April looks from one face to the other and take in each of their names. If these people are going to help her in starting this revolution, then she might as well learn more about them.

But there is a name at the end of the list that makes April's skin crawl: Morgarn.

Morgarn is the tenth volunteer of the Day of Destruction.

The flyer crumples in April's hands out of anger. Morgarn is from that parallel world they left. How can she be a volunteer here?

Before April can allow her anger to consume her, she hears a group of people talking among each other. Their voices are low and the tone to the male's voice speaking seems urgent, if not scared. That's when she hears them talking about the security guards. Apparently there are a few Heat Miles workers on patrol around the festival.

Without a further thought, April slips the crumpled flyer into her back jean pocket and makes a quick escape through the different stalls. She fears that Heat Miles must have found out about her or the Doctor's presence.

Just before turning the corner between two different food stalls towards the back of the festival, she spots two security guards walking by. She crouches down on her knees in the mud behind one of the stalls, waiting for them to pass.

"It's a false alarm," One of the security guards says to the other as they pass by, not noticing April crouching behind the stall. "Rodger Barratt has claimed that there are no Heat Miles officers around this festival, or at least there shouldn't be," he grunts. "Probably some hoax."

April watches the two security guards pass by and walk along the pathway. But just as she makes a move to start following them, she feels a hand at her elbow pulling her back.

April falls onto her backside but it only accompanied by her twin brother. She lets out a sigh of relief but rolls her eyes.

"Could've given me a heart attack." She growls.

"And I'm not letting you follow those guards," Max replies in a low voice so that anyone else who passes cannot hear. "We're leaving the festival. Now. We'll be spotted by someone from a mile off if we stay here."

April says nothing in response. She won't complain about leaving this festival, but the security guards marching around this field gives her a sense of unease. April leans forward and peers from behind the stall, only to find that the two security guards have disappeared elsewhere.

"There's no Heat Miles workers out here," Max says as if reading April's mind. "The Doctor only used that as a disguise to get us in. That's why we have to go _now_," he then frowns as he looks down at his sister. "How did you get in?"

"I snuck in." April replies as she stares down the pathway. But that's when she sees it again. The waver in the air above the wooden fence indicating the forcefield. Just beyond the fence is the woods. April turns back to look at her brother. "But we're going to have to exit through the gate."

"Then lets get moving." Max says before standing up. He pulls his coat around him and April pulls up her hood. They both keep their heads down as they walk through the festival, occasionally looking up with their eyes to make sure that no one is paying them any attention.

They walk at a quick pace, desperate to leave this area as quickly as they can.

However as they get closer to the exit, they find security guards checking ID's of everyone that leaves.

April tugs at the sleeve of Max's coat and when he notices this too, they turn to go the other way. But instantly they are met by a large group of people who have been following them towards the exit, ready to leave the festival.

"Shit." April hisses under her breath as they turn back towards the exit. She clenches her fists in her hoodie pockets, her heart beating rapidly in her chest the closer they get to the exit and the shape shifters and guards.

What is to become of them if they are caught?

April glances up to her brother who looks directly ahead with a stern expression.

They reach closer and closer towards the exit. April feels a firm hand on her shoulder that stops her from walking.

"May I check your ID, miss?" The security guards asks as he pulls at her shoulder, turning her around to face him.

Suddenly, at that exact same moment, all security guard's attention are miraculously turned to a drunken man shouting expletives at them.

There is a moment of silence around the gate as they listen to this drunk man cursing the Day of Destruction and that all should go to hell.

April narrows her eyes, certain that the face of this man is not on the list of volunteers for the race. But his slurred words are enough to drive the security guards away from her and to the man. April feels Max pull at her arm, wanting to leave the scene. But April stays put.

The security guards advance on this man who is unstable on his feet. The man stands in the middle as the security guards form a very close circular wall around him, trapping him. The man looks at one of the guards with wild eyes, their faces almost touching.

People passing by stop to look at the scene almost fascinated by what is happening.

And that's when the security guards start to beat the drunk man to a pulp.

"No!" April yells, without giving it a second thought and immediately makes a run for it to stop them. "Leave him alone!" she screams as she runs faster.

April's arm slips from Max's reach and she is already too far ahead for him to stop her.

April reaches one of the security guards, grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him backwards, away from the drunk man. In an instant, the guard spins around and throws his fist to April, his knuckles catching on her cheekbone.

In shock, April falls backwards into the mud, feeling warm blood trickle down her face. For a moment a memory flashes by her. A memory of Bruce Fey hitting her. But she instantly banishes this memory from her mind. She is not going to let these guards beat this man.

April scrambles back to her feet, but her balance is a little off. That is when she notices the gun that is being pointed in her direction. The security guard that hit her is now threatening to shoot her. The drunk man is lying in a crumpled heap in the mud, blood splattered all over his pale skin and his left arm jutting out at an awkward angle.

Knowing that if UNIT was there with her right now, she would be raising her hands up in surrender, especially to someone pointing a gun directly at her. But this is April's nightmare and she will not surrender to it.

"And who do you think you are?" The security guard holding his gun to April orders.

"Like you don't know." She snaps. If Ellis Lustworve knows about the Ice Girl then surely everyone does.

"Don't play smart with me. I order you to tell me-"

The security guard is cut off as Joseph Hollerford suddenly steps out in front of April. "No, sir, no. You would not want to be doing that right now. That would be a very bad decision." His voice is calm and collective.

April suddenly tenses up at the sight of her grandfather standing up for her. She is then fully aware of Max's presence just behind her. And then she realises the large crowd of people watching the scene. So much for keeping a low profile.

"And who are you to tell me what to do?" The security guard snarls. "Get out my way. She assaulted an official!"

"No, in fact you assaulted her." Joseph replies indifferently and April cannot help but recognise the cheek in his voice her father used to have. For a split moment, April feels a rush of affection towards her grandfather for he is so alike her own father.

"Look I would strongly advise you to put down your gun," Joseph lowers his voice. "You know what is going on with the Day of Destruction, especially this year with the visitors. I mean can't you recognise them from their faces? The twins?" Joseph gestures to his grandchildren behind him. "The Ice Girl and the Lost Brother. Rodger Barratt is expecting them to turn up to his party tonight and you've just ruined his princess' face," April clenches her jaw at this remark. "Surely you wouldn't want to upset him further than you already have?"

The security guards takes one long look at the twins. There is a flicker of recognition across his face and he nods.

"I understand. We cannot let Major Rodger Barratt down." With that the security guard lowers his gun, aiming it elsewhere and a moment later, he pulls the trigger. As this happens, Max pulls his sister close to him who cries out.

The drunken man in the mud jolts from the force of the bullet and dies instantly. The gaping hole in his head clearly shows where the bullet hit him.

There is a horrible silence in the air and the security guard turns around to look at his horrified crowd. "As you should all know by now," he shouts. "There's a security of this Island that depends on complete and total timeless energy. Any protesters, any investigators or rebellions will be made example of!" He turns back to look at Joseph. "CLEAR THE SPACE!"

Instantly the crowd start to disperse, whispering to each other as the other security guards pick up the lifeless body of the dead man.

Joseph turns on his grandchildren and stares at them as they hold onto each other for dear life. "I could not let you do that alone, April."

April nods, not quite able to thank him in words.

Joseph nods before turning to leave. A part of both April and Max wishes to run after him and understand their situation better. But the fact that he is their relative still seems almost impossible.

Max takes his sister's hand in his and pulls her away from the festival. They easily escape through the main gate and speed walk along the main road, making some distance between them and everyone else.

After a few long minutes of walking in silence, Max reaches inside his coat pocket and pulls out April's envelope before passing it to her.

April looks at it as if it is dirt. "If that's an invite to Rodger Barratt's party then I'm not going." April moans.

"Read it first."

April reluctantly takes the envelope and rips it open. Her walking pace slows as she reads the words on the page. However the grammatically incorrect syntax and spelling by Lucien does not amuse her.

"For God's sake." She mumbles as she folds the invite.

"That's exactly what the Doctor said." Max snorts.

"Are you going?" April asks as they walk on.

"I will if you are. I mean this is your nightmare. This is what the Cytracik left you. It's not my place to tell you what you should or should not do."

April kicks a stone on the ground, thinking about Max's words. Since she arrived here, the Doctor has been distant and she can only imagine what his reaction might have been when he realised that she went off on her own. She then wonders how Max managed to leave the Doctor too.

"What you have to understand," April begins slowly. "That whatever I do will come back to you and the Doctor. It will effect our grandfather too. And Rose and Terry. And sometimes it probably won't be for the best."

"Well I will be ready for that."

"I don't want you to get hurt because of me," April bites her lower lip. "I know you never really talk about her, even in Manchester you never really said, but I can see how much Edina's loss is tormenting you. I guess that's what the Cytracik is giving us. A past that neither of us can move on from," now that April has started saying aloud everything that has been running through her head, she cannot stop. "But we're both going through completely different situations. I feel like I'm walking inside my own head and that's not a great place to be. I mean I don't even know what the bloody hell we're supposed to do in this battle. I'm literally just going by my instincts. Like do we destroy the Cytracik itself? And how are we to befriend Heat Miles?"

Max sighs, knowing that April has been keeping this all to herself. "I don't suppose you'd be caught dead befriending Rodger Barratt."

April gives her brother a sideways glance. "I suppose I should tell you, Max, that I met someone earlier today. Just when I left you guys. Ellis Lustworve. He explained to me about the Day of Destruction but I bet he knows far more than he is letting on."

"You've met Ellis too?" Max queries.

April's scowl deepens. "Yeah my nightmare told me about him."

"Oh right well we've just met him at the festival before I found you." Max's voice is casual.

But there is a beat as the realisation hits them. How is it possible that Ellis could have gone from meeting April to meeting the others in a matter of seconds? Surely he couldn't have travelled between his house and the festival that quickly.

Instantly April starts to become suspicious of Ellis.

"He can't have been in two different places at the same time." April mutters more to herself than to her brother.

Suddenly Max and April stop dead in their tracks as they are met by two security guards who stop them. With them is a shape shifter. April holds onto her breath for surely they are now in trouble.

"Apologies for the inconvenience but an offence has occurred and under the rules of the Major, we have to scan every citizen for fraud." One of the security guards says as he stands tall in front of the twins, stopping them from moving forward.

April reaches for her brother's hand but the security guards stops her instantly.

The one in front of Max shines a scanning device directly in his face. A bright blue light flashes in his eyes. The security guard does the same to April as the other pricks blood from Max's finger. He does the same to April.

There is a long moment as they await their results. The longer it takes, the more fear the twins feel. April glances over to Max who clenches his fists. He is ready to attack if necessary.

April takes in a deep breath but suddenly flinches as the scanner bleeps. The two security guards look up at the twins and smile.

"Thank you for your patience, Harry Summerland and Mrs Robinson. Enjoy your stay at the Island." One of the guards says. He nods his head before they pass the twins and march back towards the festival.

April and Max stare at each other, utterly dumbfounded. But without a second thought, April pulls her hood over her head and they speed walk further and further away from the festival.

* * *

The bungalow seems colder than it did earlier in the day when Ellis returns. As Halloween draws near, the air around the Island is getting increasingly cold. For a moment Ellis thinks about lighting a fire, but no one in his neighbourhood has lit a fire yet. The first who does usually gets attention from everyone who lives nearby, and attention is the last thing Ellis needs in the build up to the Day of Destruction.

Ellis closes the back door to his bungalow and listens to the silence around the house. Whatever his daughter may be doing, she is silent with it. Usually Amelia calls out to Ellis whenever he returns home but this time she does not.

After a few moments of hesitation, Ellis eventually steps away from the back door. He slowly walks through the back porch as he twists the silver ring on his left pinkie finger nervously. He know that what he has just done was far too much of a close call.

Of course being able to separate yourself to be in two different places at the same time is dangerous business. And this was the first time Ellis has attempted it since he stole the ring from his father. And he knows that this attempt was far too dangerous. For a start, their new visitors are going to pick up the fact that he was talking to both April alone in this house and the others at the festival at the exact same time. They are smart people, he knows that. But more urgently then this, Ellis knows that he has put his life at risk for having released information about Heat Miles and the Day of Destruction. Ellis' life is in these visitors hands. He trusts them enough to be his allies.

But the Battle of the Cytracik is nothing to trust.

Ellis steps into the cold living room to find it empty of his daughter. He stops playing with his silver ring and looks around the room. His breath condenses in the air. He has to warm up the house.

Just as Ellis opens his mouth to call out for his daughter, Amelia steps out from behind the sofa.

"Did it go well, daddy?" she asks.

Amelia looks so innocent in her knitted jumper she is wearing over her dress. Her bright blue eyes gaze up to her father. But Ellis jolts in fright ever so slightly at the sound of his daughter. Has she been standing there all along?

Ellis looks down at his daughter and brushes down invisible dust from the front of his coat. He has always kept his life and job with Heat Miles and their work a secret from Amelia. He knows that the truth will hurt and endanger her. But most of all, he wants Amelia to grow up away from all this. The death of her mother nearly five years ago was traumatising enough.

However Ellis cannot help shake off the feeling that Amelia knows and understands everything.

"What are you on about sweetheart?" Ellis replies, busying himself by undoing the buttons on his coat. "The festival was as busy as it always is." Ellis keeps his eyes on the floor.

"You know what I'm on about, daddy." Amelia's voice is deflated, almost as if she is fed up.

Ellis sighs as his daughter approaches him. He takes off his coat. "Darling, Heat Miles are no longer part of our lives. And they never will be again."

Amelia stands by her father and tugs at his left hand. Ellis looks down at his daughter quizzically as he looks bemused at his hand. He quickly feels her tug at his silver ring. Her soft, delicate hands rub around the ring. But Ellis does not question how she knows about this.

"Yes, I suppose it went well." He replies quietly.

"Will you keep using it?"

Ellis and Amelia look at each other. Her blue eyes glisten. She is still so young and so innocent. But Ellis cannot bring himself to form the words. Instead he nods before kissing her head.

As the day wears on and the evening looms, Ellis busies himself with cooking dinner for himself and Amelia. Curry for tonight. Something to keep them both warm for the night. As he stirs the sauce in the pan, Ellis glances over his shoulder to Amelia. She is curled up in the corner of the sofa with a crocheted blanket over her. Her thoughts are buried in the book of fairy tales she reads.

"Amelia," Ellis calls idly as he looks down at his cooking. "You can sleep in my bed tonight. I have a feeling it's going to be a cold night."

"Okay." Amelia replies sweetly.

Ellis tries his best to concentrate on cooking the curry but he cannot remove the constant fear in his mind he has had since he resigned from Heat Miles. And since the Ice Girl landed on his back doorstep, this fear has only increased.

Of course Heat Miles will know he has told the Doctor and his friends all about them. He has disobeyed the first rule that was drummed into his head on his first day of the job. But truth be known to him that Heat Miles will not cut his tongue for this punishment. Ellis fully understands what his actions is going to cost him.

Heat Miles will execute him during the race.


	7. VI - The biggest party of the year

**VI  
The biggest party of the year**

_The Island  
__Jack Gruntler's residence_

When Jack Gruntler first arrived at the Island with Joseph Hollerford five weeks ago, he located himself in a small detached house in the busy village, not far from the cul-de-sac. This detached house blends in so well to the other houses that no one can detect who currently owns the house. However to the Doctor, Jack could not have picked more of an obvious place to stay.

The house has two floors. The downstairs contains a living room, a bathroom and a kitchen, where Joseph still spends most of his time, busying himself with cooking as if he is still holding onto the role of a butler. Jack sits in the armchair in the living room, listening to Joseph cluttering away in the kitchen, knowing that he is only continuing his duties as a butler to preoccupy his mind.

Upstairs are three bedrooms, one for Jack, one for Joseph and one spare.

The Doctor sniffs the air as he looks around the living room suspiciously. Rose, Terry, Max and April hover awkwardly in the room, not entirely sure what is going on.

Jack, sitting in the armchair, looks at the Doctor with a blank expression.

"Has this property won your approval, Doctor?" Jack says, his tone low and somewhat condescending.

"How will you know this is a safe spot?" The Doctor replies. His voice harsh and accusing.

Jack stares at the Doctor for a moment. "Rodger Barratt knows of our appearance here. He has been expecting us for some time now. Why are you so paranoid? Give it until morning and this whole Island will know that the last of the Time Lords has come into land. This party is very public. And as one would say: an _honour_ to be invited by the Major himself."

"He is a shape shifter, not a Major." April mutters under her breath.

"Then I'm not going." The Doctor says stubbornly.

"Yes you are and that is final, Doctor," Jack's voice is so demanding no one would want to argue against him. "I have taken the liberty to order your outfits for this evening. You'll find them hanging up in the wardrobe upstairs in the spare bedroom."

Minutes later and the Doctor pulls open the wardrobe to reveal four different outfits. One for the Doctor himself. One for Max. One for Rose and one for April. Jack, however, seems happy for Terry to turn up in her usual attire.

The Doctor picks out the black suit tie Jack has ordered for him. "I'm going to look like a waiter." He mumbles.

"Stop your bitching." Rose snorts as she pulls out her dress which is a short, deep red number. She smiles before turning away.

Max is left with a suit similar to the Doctor's, however his blazer is brown and a grey shirt lays underneath it. Max halts for a moment before touching the sleeve to the blazer. He is suddenly remembered of his favourite evening gowns he owned back in Manchester 1775. They were of this brown colour and of the same fabric as this blazer. But he says nothing as he pulls it off its hanger.

April is left with a long sleeved navy blue tight dress with patches of black lace around the waist. It is the exact same dress she wore when UNIT appeared on national live television in the parallel world. A shiver runs down her spine.

A couple of hours later, evening falls.

Everyone congregates in the living room, all dressed up smartly for the party. They touch up their looks, pretending they care about how formal they look, while they anxiously wait for their transport to arrive and take them to Rodger Barratt's mansion.

"Now this party is one of the years highlights, aside from the Day of Destruction itself. The ten volunteers are also invited to this party and because we are the first visitors from the universe, we are automatically invited," Jack Gruntler explains as he adjusts the cuffs to his shirt sleeves. "And we are old friends to Rodger Barratt." He looks pointedly to April who scowls harshly to the wooden floor.

"How many people are going to be there?" Rose asks.

"Enough for you to mingle," Jack replies. "Heat Miles workers are invited to this party every year. But because we are only visitors, our arrival to the party will be the talk of the Island. So don't complain about any attention we receive after this. My best advice is to keep your head low. Hopefully we can keep a low enough profile that the citizen's attention remain on our volunteers."

"Morgarn is a volunteer." April says dully.

There is a brief moment as they all turn to look at April, almost surprised to hear her talk. Then there is a heavy knock on the door and everyone's attention is immediately turned away from April.

Jack Gruntler breathes out, glancing at April once. "There's our ride."

Standing on the road at the end of the pathway leading to the house is a black horse-drawn cart. Two beautiful white stallions stand at the front of the carriage, tied to it by gold reins. The driver sits on the roof of the carriage in a midnight blue suit, but his face is over-shadowed by darkness.

The full moon shines brightly in the sky, illuminating the dimly lit streets.

Jack steps out of the house first. He walks up the garden pathway and nods to the footman who opens the door to the carriage. He turns to look back at Rose behind him before stepping to the side, letting her enter the carriage first. Rose climbs the step and finds a seat in the corner of the carriage. Terry follows, then April, Max and then the Doctor after some hesitation.

The footman shuts the door and then they are off. The carriage takes them away from the neighbourhood and through a detoured route all around the Island, heading to Major Rodger Barratt's mansion.

April sits in the corner of the carriage with Max to her right. The Doctor sits opposite her with Terry and Joseph. April looks out the window and watches life on the Island pass by. The villagers living in this neighbourhood stand at the side of the road, watching the carriage pass them by in complete awe.

But it isn't until they reach the main road that they start to get more attention from the citizens of the Island. And this attention puts everyone off. As they sit in the warm carriage, they all look out the windows and everyone out in the streets seems to be pointing, waving and applauding them as if they are royalty. Some people start running alongside the carriage, knocking on the window to get attention from them, but they soon fall back, not being able to keep up with the speed of the carriage.

April jumps in fright as someone bangs on the window she is sitting by. The person running alongside the carriage looks at April with wild eyes, desperate to get her attention, but they soon disappear into the darkness.

A little shaken from the attention from these people, April sinks back into the back of the carriage seat. She nervously glances up to Jack Gruntler who is watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"Play nicely." Jack Gruntler says, drawing everyone's attention away from the attention outside. He looks pointedly at the Doctor before shuffling in the seat, adjusting his blazer. "Joseph, for now, you are not my butler. We come in peace to this land and we arrived together. No questions asked."

They are silent for the rest of the journey. Rose slips her hand in the Doctor's, their fingers intertwining. The Doctor squeezes her hand tightly as the journey to Rodger Barratt's mansions goes on.

It is as if the driver of this carriage is taking them through a detour around the Island, transporting them through every road. It is like a promenade. Everyone from this Island are eagerly awaiting to see a glimpse of these visitors that have been invited to the most-talked-about party of the year.

Sitting inside this carriage, the Island's visitors hate every second of this experience. The Doctor is desperate the close the red velvet curtains over the windows, but Jack insists that they will be in trouble.

"If you want Heat Miles on your side, Doctor, I suggest that you don't go out your way to upset them." Jack warns.

The Doctor does not reply but pulls Rose's hand into his lap.

Seconds later and there is nothing but darkness outside. It is as if all lights have been turned off outside.

April leans forward to have a look what is outside, but sees nothing other than the reflections from inside the carriage.

Everyone is aware how the speed of the carriage has increased somewhat, and yet no one mentions about the way their ears are popping as if they are travelling through a tunnel. April exchanges glances with her brother and notices the way Rose and Terry look at each other. They are all wondering the same thing.

At first fear starts to rise up in April as she can imagine Rodger Barratt's mansion being hidden somewhere on the beach. She is not prepared to see the Black Lighthouse once again.

But that fear quickly vanishes as soon as light appears outside again. Everyone, except Jack Gruntler, peers out of the window.

However, what they see outside is not what either of them expect.

The streets around this area of the Island are dimly lit and so they can just about see shapes here and there. The buildings are high like sky scrapers and every so often there is a shadow of some sort of sculpture. One sculpture almost looked like a scorpion in its shadow.

However as they turn the corner, they see a long court yard with metal stalls at either side, almost like a stadium. The horses pull the carriage over newly laid paving slabs. There are tall, unlit street lamps that loom above them in the darkness. Everything in this arena was newly created, almost as if it has just been built. And as far as they can see, there is nothing else other than street lamps and the stalls.

It isn't until they reach halfway down the arena that the carriage steers to the right. On their left in the near distance, they catch a glimpse of a podium and a large stage. There are two large television screens at either end of the stage, but they all quickly disappear as they pass between the stalls and back into darkness.

The Doctor catches Jack Gruntler's eye, both thinking the same thing. There is a reason why they have been taken through this part of the Island. Rodger Barratt wants them to see something in this area. But it does not make sense. It is a newly made arena, but what for?

They pass through the darkness and then suddenly find themselves in bright lights. There is a loud roar of cheers from a crowd up ahead.

The carriage takes them up the long straight path towards Rodger Barratt's mansion. As they get closer and closer to the mansion, everyone suddenly seems far less keen than they already were about turning up to this party. There are flashing lights from cameras in the crowd.

Everyone here is desperate to see a glimpse of the new visitors to this Island.

Rodger Barratt's mansion is overwhelmingly big with bright yellow lights shining onto its stone walls. The mansion is rectangular shaped, like a large block. The grey tiled roof holds three large chimneys, all of which has smoke blowing up into the air. There are rows upon rows of French windows around the edges, catching glimpses of the exquisite interior.

Max grips hold of April's hand in anger, clenching his jaw tightly. April glances up at her brother before looking back out the window. She lets out a loud, exasperated sigh. There is no way Rodger Barratt is going to get away with this. For he has taken the exact same design from Declan Hollerford's dream home.

The mansion looks identical to the sketches their father used to draw for them, and the real thing April saw in the parallel world. It is identical down to the hundreds of stone steps leading towards to the oak front door, the French windows and the ivy crawling up the walls. The only difference is the cream stone walls, whereas Declan's dream home was made of brick. April and Max both hope that the interior of this mansion is nothing like their father's.

There is a large fountain at the bottom of the stone steps. The carriage circles the fountain and stops by the stairs.

The flashes from the cameras outside is almost blinding.

There is a moment of silence that seems to go on forever as they all hold onto their breaths. Despite no one saying anything, they know that they are all thinking the same: this is it. And this experience is not too dissimilar from their live television interview in the parallel world.

The footman steps out from behind the carriage and opens the door.

Jack Gruntler is the first to leave and step out onto the gravel below. He is then followed by the Doctor who shields his eyes from the blinding light of the flashing cameras.

"Would you believe it?" A voice from the crowd shouts out. "The Doctor. The Last of the Time Lord is here on the Island!"

"It will become known to all that the Doctor is in fact no myth at all!" Another says.

Rose grips hold of the Doctor's hand protectively, pulling him away from the crowd and the amount of people calling out to him, wanting him to come over and answer their questions. Some jeer at the guests, shouting at them to "go back to where they belong", but there are a few security guards in the lilac jackets who hold them back. There doesn't seem to be a shape shifter in sight. So far.

Three man-servants in black suit ties join them at the bottom of the steps. They have wide, forced grins which does not meet their eyes. These men suddenly remind April of Sunny Blythe, the receptionist from Hotel Soelife and the only worker there who wasn't effected by the Nobodys.

It seems as if everything here reminds April about her past travels. And she does not like it one bit.

The three man-servants guide their guests up the hundreds of stone steps, leading them away from the fountain and the large crowd of eager journalists.

"Didn't think that Rodger Barratt would be one for home design." Terry sneers, knowing fully well how identical this mansion is to Declan's.

"Clearly it's all for show." The Doctor responds gruffly. His hand still in Rose's.

They eventually reach the top of the stone stairs and find themselves at the end of a long cobbled pathway leading towards the front doors. Either side of the path are hedges and trees from the garden. Music can be heard from inside the closer they get.

The three servants are ahead of the guests. Jack, who leads, slows his walking pace with the others, creating a little distance between them and the man-servants.

"Imagine this is your first day of school," Jack says. "You want to be nice and friendly to everyone but don't be too quick to trust. Smile. You are honoured to have been invited to this incredible party. This is the best night of your life. Flatter, but don't kiss their shoes. If you're clever, you can get them drunk and to confess all. But for God's sake _smile_ and be happy. Make them want to be friends with you," Jack smirks. "April and the Doctor. When I say all this, I especially mean you two." With that Jack picks up his walking pace again.

As they reach the oak front doors, the three man-servants turn to look at their guests with their hands behind their backs.

"Welcome to the Palace." One of the servants says just as the large doors open, revealing a golden grand hallway.

To both Max's and April's relief, it looks nothing like Declan's design.

The party itself has a very eighteenth century atmosphere about it with a slight modern twist. The people who have been invited to the party are dressed up extravagantly in brightly coloured satin dresses and suits. Many wear wigs, covering their natural hair and their faces are covered in white powder, giving them a ghostly white complexion. However their make up stands out against their pale faces. The women wear florescent matt lipsticks of different colours ranging from orange to purple. Their eyelids are covered with a glittery eyeshadow of a clashing colour. The men however seem to have revered to the 1960s with their exaggerated moustaches that have been trimmed and gelled down into perfect handlebar shapes.

The air around them has an essence of smoke and burning wood infused with jasmine. But all the guests seem happy and content in their environment.

The grand hallway is large and covers nearly the whole of the ground floor to the mansion. The walls are covered in gold panelling and the flooring is made up of brilliant white marble. To their right in the corner is the grand staircase with gold banisters leading up to the upper floors. By the stairs is a large open doorway leading into what looks like a dining room.

In the centre of the hallway is a large grey stone statue of Rodger Barratt standing tall and proud. Just beneath the statue is a bronze plaque quoting "Major Rodger Barratt; the founder of Heat Miles. 1774" There are a few people standing around the statue, drinking merrily and looking up at it in wonder.

However as the new guests enter this magnificent environment the whole Island dreams of being invited to; they become the centre of attention.

And how out of place do they all feel.

The guests in the grand hallway stop and stare at these new visitors. They exchange quiet words with each other. At this precise moment, no one knows exactly what to do. The guests are unsure as to whether or not they approach these visitors. Especially seeing as there is a Time Lord in their midst.

That is when a male waiter in a black suit tie steps in front of them. He holds out a silver tray balancing seven champagne flutes, one for each guest.

With a grin, Jack Gruntler takes his drink and nods to the others to do the same. He then takes a few steps forward so that they are not so much as hovering by the front door. He then turns to the others, fully aware how unwelcoming they look standing together in a tight knit huddle.

"It's best if we split up," Jack says in a low voice. "It'll look far too suspicious if we move as one for the whole night."

"Nope," The Doctor snaps before Jack can say any more. "I reject that idea out of hand."

"For goodness sake, Doctor, it is not like we are running into danger." Jack hisses in a voice you would not want to argue with.

"Not yet anyway." Terry mutters under her breath. Only Rose catches this.

"If we split up," Jack continues. "We can get more information quicker and then the sooner we are out of here the better. Let's face it, none of you want to be here. I would much rather be back at the house but we have no choice. It's fighting for this battle or letting this war destroy everything."

"Lets just give ourselves two hours maximum." Terry says quickly.

"Agreed," Jack nods. "Doctor, you should stay with Rose. Terry, I trust you to stay safe on your own. You have your handheld device. I'll go with Joseph and the twins will go together."

The Doctor groans. "Right now that's just taking the absolute piss!"

April gives the Doctor a sharp glare. Clearly he does not trust her out of his sight. And this hurts her.

"Doctor." Rose hisses in a warning tone.

"What? Do you not trust me anymore, Doctor?" April snaps a little louder than intended.

"Well you're the one who told me to clear off." The Doctor sneers.

Jack places a very firm grip onto the Doctor's shoulders, digging the tips of his fingers into his skin. Max pulls at April's elbow.

"Lets get a move on now before we cause an unnecessary scene," Jack says firmly. "For now, Doctor and April, drop your personal problems and meet back at my house in two hours." He looks to Joseph who silently turns and walks away with him.

Terry glares from the Doctor to April before turning. "I'm exploring." she says over her shoulder before disappearing into the crowd.

Noticing the way the Doctor and April glare at each other, Max starts to pull April away.

Rose slips her hand into the Doctor's again. She smiles at him and nudges him playfully, just wanting him to relax and to reconnect his friendship he had with April before. She now understands what it was like for him when herself and April did not get along. But now is not the right time for April and the Doctor to keep quarreling.

"Come on, Doctor," she says cheerfully. "Lets mingle."

* * *

Terry's fingers itch at her side as she is desperate to take out her handheld device. Yes Jack Gruntler did advise her to use it but it is hard to take it out when there is already so many people around just staring at her. She is gaining enough attention with her fiery, curly red hair and black eyes. Using her handheld device with everyone else around will probably cause an uproar.

Terry was lucky to have been handed the device back when they left the festival earlier in the day. But she knows that next time if it is confiscated, she probably will not get it back again. Especially if Heat Miles ever get their hands on it.

Terry stalks through the side corridors with cream and brown plastered walls, round the back of the mansion. Hanging up on the walls are black iron lanterns lit with candles. Because none of the guests seem to be hanging around in these corridors, Terry knows that she is heading in the right direction to the lower grounds.

Right at the end of the corridor is a dark wooden door, and from the cold air coming in through the gaps, she knows that that must lead out back. To her left is another wooden door and she she pushes it open, she is met with warmth and the smell of cooking coming from the bottom of the stone steps in front of her.

Without further ado, Terry starts to walk down the cold stone steps. She finds herself in a large stone kitchen. The very nineteenth century looking kitchen with its wooden work surfaces and coal fire to cook the food, is packed full of workers who stop in their tracks to stare at Terry.

Fear is shown clearly across each and every one of their faces.

There is a horrible silence in the kitchen as they all stare at Terry. But very quickly they turn and continue with the preparation of the food. Only now they stare intently at what they are doing, as if pretending that Terry is not there.

Suddenly there is a comical cackle coming from the corner of the kitchen and as this happens everyone seems to quicken the pace of their work, their eyes wild with fear.

From the corner of the kitchen, a black woman with dreadlocks steps away from the others kneading the bread. She wipes her flour covered hands on her dirty apron and approaches Terry, pure excitement and amusement flashing across her face.

"He'll have your tongue if he catches you down here!" The woman snorts.

It doesn't take an idiot to know she means Rodger Barratt, Terry thinks to herself. "And who are you to say that?" Terry asks, watching the cook suspiciously.

"Darcy," she holds out her dirty hand for Terry to shake. "His only slave with a voice."

Terry stares at Darcy before glancing at the other cooks who still look ever so nervous of her presence.

"Old Heat Miles workers. They broke the rules for whatever reasons. Had their tongues removed and are now spending the rest of their lives serving the King of the Island."

"Then why have you kept yours?"

"Honey, I applied for this job." Darcy laughs, but there is a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She then turns away and stands by the sink where she starts to scrub at the dirty plates.

Terry takes one more glance at the other cooks before following Darcy.

"I suppose you know a lot about this Island." Terry says flatly.

Darcy snorts as if Terry's question is the most bizarre thing to ask. "What else is there to know about other than this Island? There's nothing else for us past these boarders," Darcy then frowns slightly. "To be honest I don't even have any recollection of my childhood. Hardly anyone here does. It's like one moment we are suddenly here and we get on with our lives like we know what we are doing. We all know that our lives are purely based around the Day of Destruction. I know nothing else other than the art of scrubbing dirty dishes."

"I can see that." Terry says with raised eyebrows.

"They know all about you though. The Time Lord's cyborg he created as a genius. You're the only one nearly as smart as himself and the One-Who-Knows-All."

"Well I no longer know all." Terry folds her arms.

Darcy blows a raspberry. "Can't comment on that I'm afraid, m'dear. Probably spending too much time with humans."

Terry only stares blankly at Darcy. She knows that is was in fact the Dalek blood that changed her.

"They are coming y'know." Darcy continues to speak, her voice slightly far away.

"How many know about the battle?" Terry queries. She is sure that no one else is supposed to know.

"Ah, I know nothing of any battle, but I am fully aware of the Universe is on its way. Hear a lot through the keyhole, you see. Heard something along the lines that the first lot is here tonight."

Terry nods. _Yes_, she thinks to herself, _we are here_.

"The steel men are coming tonight."

"Excuse me?" Terry snaps, suddenly feeling a rise of panic flow through her – a feeling she has never felt before.

"The steel men," Darcy laughs. "I hope they crash the party."

Terry reaches inside her skirt pocket, reaching for her handheld device. There is only one group of steel men in this universe. And they were all destroyed in the parallel world.

"Oh I remember now! Cybermen! That's what they're called! The men in the silver suits." Darcy exclaims, suddenly excited as if it is some sort of joke. But then she frowns in confusion, almost like she is remembering something. She looks at Terry. "Don't think Rodger Barratt knows."


	8. VII - King of the castle

**VII  
King of the castle**

_The Island  
__Rodger Barratt's mansion_

Max takes on the offer for all the free food that comes his way. Each time a waiter passes carrying a silver tray of cocktail sausages or mini jam tarts, Max slyly takes one off the tray and happily munches on it as he follows his sister through the busy party.

It has at least been a good twenty minutes since they split up with the others and the twins have found themselves walking aimlessly around the mansion. April directs them in and out of the large rooms on the bottom floor, and Max absent-mindedly follows. They walk around in circles, not achieving anything other than the hope of not bumping into Rodger Barratt along the way.

Yet they both silently wonder to themselves as to why Jack Gruntler was so insistent that they turn up to this party. To make a good impression? If that is the case then it is not doing them any good, for all they are receiving are suspicious stares from the other guests.

Everyone here works for Heat Miles, and the absence of Rodger Barratt pleases April. It is as if he is missing his own party.

When Max and April have been wondering around the ground floor of the mansion for around forty minutes, they decide to escape to the gardens at the back of the mansion. The stifling atmosphere seems too much.

The glass French doors lead out to a stone verandah overlooking the back gardens. They instantly feel the crisp, cold air as they step outside.

The verandah is lit with lanterns. Electrical heaters hang on the back wall to the mansion. The garden looms in darkness and there is not much that can be seen other than the odd hedge or tree here and there. There are a couple of stone steps that lead down from the verandah to the perfectly mowed lawn. The lawn stretches out to a fountain, a little smaller than the one at the front of the mansion. Just behind the fountain, a high, long and perfectly trimmed hedge can be seen. It looks like a wall to a maze, but the rest of it disappears into the darkness.

There is a small group of around six guests hanging around the fountain, clearly very drunk as they laugh hysterically with one another. They are messing around, pushing each other playfully and drunkenly tripping over their own feet.

Max and April walk further up the verandah and take a seat at a picnic table right under one of the heaters. As she sits down, April watch the guests mess around by the fountain, clearly having a good time and not having any worries about their lives on this Island under Rodger Barratt.

"Don't suppose they keep all their Day of Destruction tricks hidden in that maze, do you?" Max laughs as he adjusts his blazer.

That's when the glass French doors open again. The warmth and the chatter from inside the party can be heard amongst the group howling with laughter as one falls into the fountain.

Unexpectedly, Lucien steps out onto the verandah, a look of anger and annoyance across his face. April and Max exchange glances, both noticing his expression.

At first Lucien does not notice April or Max as he starts to light a cigarette. But he suddenly jumps in fright at April's voice.

"Hey. Wouldn't mind if you share them out, would you?" April tries to keep her voice light and confident: the exact opposite to how she is feeling.

Lucien turns and stares at the twins in bewilderment for a while before the look of recognition crosses his face.

"Ah, the party guests." He walks over to their picnic table, taking out a packet of cigarettes from his jacket pocket. He passes one to April before he sits opposite them on the bench.

Lucien lights his cigarette before lighting April's for her. April, with her cigarette between her lips, hesitates for a moment, before leaning forward. She holds the end of the cigarette in the flame of the lighter and inhales. She catches Lucien's curious stare before she leans back and exhales, blowing out smoke.

Max glances at April and immediately gets her idea: play nice and get this man on their side. Back in Manchester this man wanted them dead. But now that that memory was removed from Lucien's mind, here is their second chance.

Max offers Lucien his hand. "Harry Summerland."

"Pah," Lucien snots, waving the air with his hand as if brushing away a fly. "Harry Summerland died nearly a year ago of hypothermia."

April chews on the inside of her lip. The reminder of Harry's death is like a punch in the stomach.

"You don't need to use your fake ID in the mansion," Lucien continues. "You can use your fake names against the rest of the universe if they're all stupid enough to be fooled. But everyone here knows who you both are. Why do you think those security guards let you go after you left the festival?"

Max and April exchange another glance. There is an awkward silence in the smoke filled air.

"This is a big night for you then." Max says after clearing his throat.

Lucien sighs. "Yeah. There is a lot we have to announce tonight. I mean everything was mine and Major Rodger Barratt's ideas for this, but it was all finalised by a small handful of the more authoritative members. I mean if all goes well I'll be promoted."

It takes all of April to not mention that Rodger Barratt is not the real Major, but in fact a shape shifter that has recreated the original man and have brought him back to life somewhat.

"Is this for the Day of Destruction? This big announcement?" April asks.

Lucien looks at April suspiciously and she know it; the tone of her voice was too stern.

"What do you know of the Day of Destruction?" Lucien queries as he taps the ash of his cigarette into the glass ashtray.

"Nothing at all." Max says a little too quickly before April can.

A sly smirk appears on Lucien's face. "I mean I would say that you both are in for a treat. But you two are terrible liars. What do you know?"

Max and April look at each other once more before April speaks first.

"That you have been warming up the civilians each year to the Battle of the Cytracik. The Day of Destruction is like an obstacle course to make them feel like their lives are worth something. But you know that the Battle of the Cytracik will be centred around this year's Day of Destruction."

Lucien starts to laugh. "The Major wasn't lying when he said how smart the twins are. And do you know how much of the universe is turning up?"

Both Max and April shake their heads.

"Well far more than the Doctor has seen. There is not a living creature in the whole universe that has not heard of the Doctor. He may have not encountered them before but they sure have encountered him. There's more than you think that wants the Doctor dead."

The moment Max hears April take a sharp intake of breath, ready to argue against Lucien, he quickly kicks her shin under the table. April scowls harshly at Max but remains silent. Luckily, Lucien does not notice this between the twins. He is too concerned in relighting his cigarette which burnt out while he was talking. They both take note on how Lucien still looks rather distant and irritated.

Max gives his sister one last glance before speaking. "Is there anything bothering you, sir?" He is not too sure if using 'sir' is appropriate. But it does not seem appropriate to address his by his first name when they are trying to get on his good side.

Lucien takes in a deep breath, ready to speak. April bites her tongue and clenches her fists in her lap. Here we go: a sob story from Rodger Barratt's sidekick. Something she really does not want to witness. But she can almost feel Max mentally telling her to deal with this situation.

"I just," Lucien hesitates. "This job is my life," he says matter-of-fact. "I cannot see my life without Heat Miles. This business is who I am and I have based my whole life in running this Island. But I feel like I am not getting enough credit as I deserve for the amount of work I do."

"We've all been there, mate." Max says casually and April is suddenly struck by his use of slang.

Lucien snorts. "Max, you were simply adored by Manchester. You can't quite compare."

"I beg to differ." Max mutters under his breath, suddenly remembering Horace Bellingham's hatred towards him.

"I guess I shouldn't be bringing this up as it is strictly confidential, but our Major is going to be crowned King of this Island. He says that the coronation will be some time after the Day of Destruction if all goes to plan. But I feel like my work for Heat Miles will be all for nothing if he is crowned King."

April gives Max a sideways glance before looking at Lucien. "What do you mean?"

Lucien seems gullible towards kindness. Perhaps he needs to get his personal thoughts off his chest. Ironically Max and April are the worst people for him to trust. But something about the atmosphere around the twins makes him feel like he can talk more than he should.

"If Major Rodger Barratt is crowned King then all my life's work towards this job will go to waste. We have worked so hard for the lead up to the Battle of the Cytracik. Convinced that we are unbeatable. I mean that is if all goes to plan. And tonight is a huge milestone for us because not only are we welcoming the volunteers and announcing the coronation, we are also introducing the Black Lighthouse and the void."

Max feels April tense next to him. From under the picnic table, he squeezes his sister's hand.

"I am sure, Ice Girl, that you know more about the Black lighthouse than any of us," Lucien laughs. "Yeah we'll be announcing the work we are doing there and what the void consists of. I mean no one other that Heat Miles know about that beach. The civilians don't know anything beyond what they see every day."

"And so how does Rodger Barratt becoming King effect you? It sounds more like a plan for authority and power." Max says sternly.

"Exactly." Lucien replies.

Max narrows his eyes. "And what will that make you then?"

"A waste of space."

"Well yes he is a shape shifter and that is all they want: power. Nothing else matters to them. As long as he can get his hands of the Cytracik the shape shifter race will be happy. Perhaps making him King will make them think that they'll be the one with the most power." April's voice is gruff and the words tumble out her mouth before she can think twice about it.

Max lets out an audible groan. Lucien glares at April and she only returns with a harsh scowl.

"Have we met before?" Lucien asks suspiciously as faded memories of Heat Miles in Manchester flashes across his mind.

"No we most definitely have not," Max pulls at April's elbow, but she and Lucien are still giving each other death stares. "Now lets return to the party."

"1775. Manchester. You broke into our base. I remember!" Lucien jumps to his feet, pointing a finger at the twins. He then throws his head backwards and roars with laughter. Some of the drunk guests by the fountain turn in their direction. Lucien then looks down at the twins with a threatening smirk. "Oh I should have killed you on the spot there and there."

Before anything else can be done, there is clinking of glasses as someone announces that it is time for the Major's speech. Lucien turns on his heel and hurriedly walks back into the mansion.

Max turns to look at his sister. There is a look of abject nothingness in her eyes. She only shivers once the sound of Rodger Barratt's voice can be heard from inside.

* * *

The Doctor's hand clutches Rose's tightly and she can feel the sweat between their palms. They find themselves in the grand living room which seems to be a popular spot for everyone to stay and mingle with one another. It is a spot for the Doctor and Rose where they can either be the centre of everyone's attention, or they can find a way to blend in.

To their luck they start to blend in. No one gives them a second glance. They are welcome guests just as everyone else is.

The Doctor, keeping a sharp eye out, in case he sees anything suspicious, slowly pulls Rose through the living room. Occasionally he mutters an apology to a couple of people as they try to squeeze pass. These people barely notice them as they move out their way.

Rose finds herself stumbling a little as they weave further and further through the crowd. But then the Doctor stops in his tracks.

A few paces away stands Ellis. He is dressed in a black suit with a large navy blue bow tie. He holds a champagne flute in one hand and looks at the Doctor with an expression of mild amusement. He then goes over to join the Doctor and Rose.

"If you want to blend in," Ellis says, casually glancing around at the other guests. "Then you need to stop looking like you're on a mission. Your face is ridden with guilt."

"I'm not." The Doctor says stubbornly.

"Don't lie."

"No, I really am not. I don't even know what I'm looking for!"

"Then just relax!" Ellis laughs. "Try the library. I'm sure Rodger Barratt will have something worth your time," he then clears his throat. "His computer can hack onto any website across different universes. I am sure that UNIT left their website running. Even after their fall."

There is a pause as Ellis and the Doctor look at each other in a mutual understanding. Ellis then looks over to Rose as if only just noticing that she is there with them.

"So we couldn't make ourselves any more of a target then how we are now," Rose says slyly. "I am sure this Island will be talking once they see that the volunteer is mingling with the visitors."

Ellis taps his nose. "I have my ways." He says before downing the rest of his champagne.

The Doctor stares at Ellis, not entirely sure whether or not he wants to trust this man. "And how have your friends at Heat Miles taken the news of you volunteering?"

"We are going to fall out very soon, Doctor, if you keep calling them my friends." Ellis replies stiffly, looking down at his empty champagne flute as if deciding whether to have another refill.

"Well I am sure they will not be best pleased." The Doctor mutters.

There is a moment of awkward silence between them. Rose jumps a little as a middle aged woman not far from them roars with laughter at something her partner has said. Then a waiter passes, announcing the Major's speech will occur in half an hour. And before the waiter can leave, Ellis quickly takes another flute of champagne from his silver tray, replacing it for his empty one.

"How much do you know about the other visitors to this Island?" The Doctor asks Ellis abruptly, not taking his eyes off him. "I mean, do you know when they are going to turn up?"

Ellis hesitates for a second. "It is not my place to tell you, Doctor."

"And who told you that? Has Jack Gruntler set you up with this?"

"Jack Gruntler has not set me up for anything. Volunteering for the Day of Destruction and trying to put together this revolution was all my doing. Speaking of which, it is about time you met the other volunteers. They are here."

"Then why can't you tell me more about anything else that is on its way to this Island?"

"Like I said I am sure you can log on UNIT's account," there is a pause. "Take a hint, Doctor. I'm trying to help you out here. I'll take you to the library. I'll cause some kind of distraction so that you can sneak in."

"Sounds like a plan." Rose chips in.

"We'd better get a move on now. We wouldn't want to miss the Major's speech." There is a hint of sarcasm to Ellis' voice.

Ellis starts to walk through the crowd and the Doctor and Rose follows, their fingers still intertwined with each other's. They make their way back through the crowd which now seems busier and more dense than it was moments before. Yet every so often, someone reaches out to shake Ellis' hand to congratulate him on volunteering. As this happens, the Doctor and Rose stop walking and keep their heads low. Ellis looks uncomfortable with the attention, but it is enough for the guests to not notice the Doctor or Rose.

They eventually find their way back into the golden grand entrance. There are less people here as everyone else seems to be moving towards the living room, getting all hyped up about Rodger Barratt's speech. Ellis walks across the hallway towards the back of the stairs. That is when the Doctor and Rose notices a slight gap in the wall, indicating a doorway under the stairs.

"The library is just through there." Ellis mutters.

The Doctor nods. "Thanks."

Ellis stares at the Doctor and then to Rose. "Just don't get caught. And don't be late for the Major's speech. He'll have your tongue for that." Ellis then turns and walks over to small group of people who immediately focus their attention to him.

The Doctor, still watching Ellis and the groups, grabs for the door handle and opens the door under the stairs. Rose slips through first and then the Doctor. He closes the door behind him. Neither of them have been seen.

By Rodger Barratt's standards, the library is very small and compact. There are a few bookshelves here and there and a computer desk sits at the side. But nothing seems dangerous or even suspicious. It is literally a small room under the stairs.

"Even Max had more of an exciting library than this," Rose says blandly. "He even had a restricted section."

The Doctor does not respond but makes his way towards the old computer on the desk. Rose, however, decides to roam the bookshelves.

Taking his black glasses out from the inside pocket of his jacket he slips them on his face. When the computer eventually loads, it asks for identification. As the Doctor presents his psychic paper, identifying himself as the last of the Time Lords, not a made up person, he is surprised the computer allows him access. He is even more surprised when it allows him access onto UNIT's old account. The account that was created by Declan Hollerford before they were all killed at the start of the Battle of Cytracik.

Just like a lot of Declan's incredible inventions, the account is still working and running entirely on its own accord. It still scans nearby threats. This time however, the account is detecting the Doctor's presence. And instantly some information starts to appear on the computer screen.

"Rose." The Doctor calls softly.

Rose puts away the hardback book she was flicking through and turns to the Doctor. She bends down to his side and starts to read the words appearing on the screen. And immediately their hearts drop down into the pit of their stomachs.

There is a silver logo flashing across the screen. The logo is of the letter 'C' within a hexagonal outline. It is a logo they have so often seen engraved into the chest of a steel armour.

"Doctor," Rose breathes in a warning tone. "What is this?"

"I don't know!" The Doctor hisses as he urgently clicks away at the mouse, wanting the logo to go away. But when it eventually does, a holographic map of a building shows up. It does not take the Doctor or Rose long to recognise the floor plan of Rodger Barratt's mansion.

Clearly the UNIT account has picked up the location of the Doctor as there is a flashing light indicating where the Doctor and Rose are in the library. The Doctor stares at the screen for a long while before he clicks on the flashing dot. Instantly the holographic floor plan of the mansion changes and takes a look out at the very large back garden.

There is a red sign pointing to the far end of the garden, indicating a warning. Something in the darkness outside is marching directly towards them. Something is coming towards the mansion, something big and threatening.

The Doctor and Rose have been in this position so many time before but it never gets any easier. Especially if what they fear is coming true.

"It can't be." The Doctor mutters just as words start to appear in a box at the side of the screen.

"They did say the whole universe is on its way to this Island." Rose says rather flatly.

"Yes but they are only talking about this universe! It will be impossible for other parallel universes to come here too. Surely."

Seeing the strain on the Doctor's face, Rose tries her best to think of something that'll keep his mind preoccupied elsewhere. "Well perhaps this isn't what we think it is." However just as she says it, the words on the screen prove her wrong. It is exactly what the Doctor and Rose is thinking.

An army of Cybermen are marching towards them.

There is a long pause of silence as Rose and the Doctor stare at the screen. There is a timer at the bottom of the screen, showing that they have thirty minutes before the Cybermen reach them.

"This is impossible!" The Doctor shouts as he violently kicks the computer desk. Rose immediately jumps backwards away for the Doctor, feeling fear of him for the first time since they met.

The Doctor starts pacing up and down the small library, running his fingers through his hair like he always does whenever stressed or angry. However this is the first time Rose has ever seen the Doctor this angry. It is like the moment they came to this Island, his mood towards everything has changed dramatically. At first she thought he was just sulking like a little child over something Jack Gruntler must have said. But there is far more running through the Doctor's mind. And there is a lot he is probably not willing to speak about. Rose does not know if it is April, or Heat Miles or the fact that no matter what the outcome will be, the Battle of the Cytracik will be over.

"You do know what this means, Rose?" The Doctor snaps at her.

Rose flinches ever so slightly, but swallows the pebble that has suddenly formed in her throat. "Not exactly." She says quietly.

"The Cybermen are from that parallel world. We destroyed them there. How can you explain them being here right now?"

Rose stares at the Doctor, wondering what exactly is going through his mind. This is not the Doctor she knows to love. This is the Doctor at a loss. "I don't know." She says weakly, shaking her head.

"That parallel doorway was supposed to be closed for good!" The Doctor shouts.

"But we destroyed them!" Rose snaps through her terror. "There must be another parallel."

"But you can't have too many parallels of the same thing," the Doctor shakes his head. "It can't be the same one."

There is silence between them.

The Doctor stares back at Rose, the woman who accidentally became a major part in his life in more ways than he can imagine, now looks utterly terrified. And he knows it is not because of the army of Cybermen marching towards them this very minute. It is because of him.

The Doctor makes a move to apologise to Rose for his attitude, but both their attention is drawn to the computer that has bleeped. The UNIT account has detected something else about their location.

The Doctor and Rose hold their breaths as they stare down at the computer screen as it analyses their surroundings. There is another bleep as the scan is complete and the results load on the screen.

There are a maximum of fifteen people at this party who are Slitheen under disguise.

Does Rodger Barratt know about any of this?

"Oh for Christ's sake." The Doctor mutters under his breath.

There is a sudden cheer heard from announcing the start of Rodger Barratt's speech.


	9. VIII - The announcement

**VIII  
The announcement**

_The Island  
__Rodger Barratt's mansion_

With her arms folded tightly across her chest, April re-enters Rodger Barratt's mansion with Max close behind. The mansion suddenly seems stifling hot and somewhat claustrophobic with the many people floating around, but the twins press on towards the living room, following everyone else going the same way.

So their plan of bringing Lucien on their side failed. It failed badly, and they are sure that Lucien would probably have killed them there and then if he had the chance. But right now April isn't so concerned about Lucien. She is more concerned about seeing Rodger Barratt again in the flesh again.

The large living room is teeming with people crowding around the stage at the far end of the room where a jazz band have been performing on. The band are now packing away their instruments as men in black uniforms arrange the microphones and speakers. Max and April squeeze through the dense crowd and find themselves somewhere in the middle. In a spot where they'll blend in. The last thing April needs is for Rodger Barratt to notice her or pay her any attention during his speech.

Moments pass as everyone excitedly chatters among themselves. It isn't until Lucien steps up onto the stage and stands in front of the microphone that everyone quietens down. At first he looks angry. And his face does not change even when he starts to speak.

"Ladies and gentleman," his dull voice echoes through the microphone and around the room. "We at the Major's house are honoured to invite you to this special night of festivities and celebration. Once every year, the Island unites together to bring you the Day of Destruction. Not only is this party a celebration for Heat Miles and all the work we have completed this past year to keep our community growing. But also for our loyal civilians who support us no matter what," there is a hint of arrogance to Lucien's voice. "And what a way to start the best time of year then to congratulate this years ten volunteers for the Day of Destruction! Let me introduce you to this year's volunteers!"

April glares at each individual that walks up onto the stage, taking in every name she hears: Zane, Orion, Buddy, Joshua, Kace, Kathryn, Billie, Blake, Ellis and lastly, Morgarn. Once her eyes lock onto Morgarn, she cannot help but take in the fact that Morgarn has actually made an effort in scrubbing up her appearance. She wears a tight, lace black dress and her long black hair looks sleek.

The audience erupts with cheers and applause, stomping their feet on the glossy floorboards. However Max nor April join in with the applause. They both can see the look of anger, agitation and hatred in the volunteers' eyes. Morgarn, however, looks somewhat out of place. She seems to be far more preoccupied by looking down at her newly manicured nails.

As the cheers continue for a little while longer with the occasional person whistling out to the volunteers, April can feel her heart sinking. Something in the pit of her stomach is not making her feel right.

Lucien is well aware of the way the volunteers look completely uninterested, but he continues to look as moody as ever.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lucien speaks through the microphone after clearing his throat. "It is my utmost greatest pleasure to welcome you to the moment we have all been waiting for...

"Please give a warm welcome to our Major Rodger Barratt and his family!"

Lucien takes a step to the side with an outstretched arm as a male figure, heavily leaning against his walking cane walks onto his stage. His younger looking wife supporting him and he is followed by two children, no older than ten years old.

For the first time in her life, April have never felt so much hatred towards one person. A shape shifter who killed the real Major and took on his form. But there is something about this shape shifter. Something that makes him so real to the true person. And April knows that shape shifter or not, this man betrayed her friends. This man who wants her and the Doctor dead. The man who is getting more and more involved with her nightmare. A man who she would want to kill herself.

April quickly banishes the thought from her head as the audience applauds their Major. Max watches Rodger Barratt carefully as he takes his place on the stage, shaking Lucien's hand, looking proud. April, however, glares with venom.

"The pig is going to speak." April jumps at the voice.

Terry takes a step forward so that she is standing by April's side, looking up at the stage with a hint of boredom.

"His family must be shape shifters, right? Even the children?" Max asks.

April is thankful that the applause is so loud as their voices are being drowned out.

"No," Terry replies sullenly. "They're still human. They have no clue that the real Major is dead. But this shape shifter is so true to its original form, you might as well believe he is the real deal."

Terry's voice is so flat and emotionless that April suddenly feels the sweat building up in the palm of her hands. But her fists remain clenched at her sides.

Not once does April take her eyes off Rodger Barratt. She watches his every move as he takes his place in front of the microphone, taking in the applause from his admirers. He nods and smiles his snake-like smirk.

Rodger Barratt, who is at least in his late sixties, looks to be standing completely stable and that his walking cane is just there for show. His wife, however, looks no more than thirty-five at least. Her brown hair with blonde highlights sits perfectly over her shoulders; her body being tightly hugged by a pink and silver dress, revealing her toned, tanned legs.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention for a moment, please." Rodger Barratt's voice is smooth, just like it always has been, but it still makes April's skin crawl.

"I hope it's not going to be a long speech." Terry moans under her breath.

"Ladies and gentlemen..._friends_," Rodger Barratt smirks. "I have to thank you all for coming and taking the time out of choosing your outfits to welcome our new arrivals. It is wonderful to see this house teeming with such friendly life. I mean it isn't often my family and I see this much happiness in one room," he turns to look at his wife and children. "There is only so much we can take of each other."

His wife lets out a laugh and so does the audience. Everyone is amused by his very forced and not exactly funny joke.

"Oh he's a charmer." Terry comments as she fidgets on the spot.

"But this is not why I am here tonight," Rodger Barratt continues. "This is the fifth year running for the Day of Destruction and we have some big announcements to make before I introduce you to this years' volunteers. I know it is always exciting to admit them into this special time of year. However, before we do that. There is something I must announce. There are big changes ahead of us."

April rolls her eyes. Here we go. The announcement of making himself King of the Island. April looks around the crowd, noticing how everyone seems so content. They all look up at Rodger Barratt in awe, as if he is a blessing to them. She even notices one or two people dabbing away tears from under their eyes with handkerchiefs.

As she scans the crowd, April's eyes eventually locks onto the Doctor who stands with Rose nearly on the other side of the room. Once the Doctor knows he has her attention, he starts to mime something. However April only glares back, dumbfounded. He looks impressed with himself and Rose only looks awkwardly to the ground, pretending he isn't trying to play a game of charades like he is.

"...so for that reason, I will be crowned King of the Island." Rodger Barratt announces.

April sharply looks back to the stage as the applause in the room is deafening. Lucien looks evidently appalled by this news and it seems as if Rodger Barratt is purposefully not looking in his direction.

As the applause continues, April turns her attention back to the Doctor. His gestures and words he is trying to create do not make any sense whatsoever. He points to her – or the windows behind her – before indicating to his forehead, his eyes and perhaps a hat on his head. As he does this, April glances around the room, making sure that no one is noticing him do this, but luckily they are too interested in their new to-be King. She then looks back to the Doctor who just repeats his actions.

"What?" April finds herself whispering aloud towards the Doctor.

For a moment the Doctor looks utterly flabbergasted at April as if his miming is meant to be the most obvious thing in the world. But just as he is about to try again, his attention is drawn straight back to Rodger Barratt as he is about to make his next announcement.

"And because of this, as I am sure you are all wondering yourselves the same thing; we need a replacement to take over my role as Major," Rodger Barratt smirks. "Well it did not take me long to decide this, and the rest of the team at Heat Miles have agreed to it. So I would like you all to welcome my second-hand man who has been there with me right from the start, and who will now do me proud as Major: I would like Lucien to step forward."

* * *

This is not good.

Lucien is now going to become the Major of the Island. The Doctor's posture visibly hunches over in defeat at this prospect. But they all know it. Now he is the new Major, there is no way they are going to get Heat Miles on their side. Rodger Barratt really has this wrapped around his little finger.

Knowing that Jack Gruntler is somewhere close to the stage, probably shooting daggers in his direction, the Doctor keeps his head low. This is completely out of their control now.

He mentally shouts at April for keeping her nightmare a secret from him. If only she had told him sooner, they would have done this ages ago. And he then starts to mentally shout at Jack Gruntler for also remaining silent and giving him nothing but useless riddles.

Well not exactly useless riddles because they always foreshadowed everything that was going to happen. But Jack refused to help the Doctor. And now the Doctor has to leave April to do what she wants on her own. And there is not a lot she has been getting done since they arrived.

Failing to get Lucien on their side for one.

They are now going to have to find another way to destroy Heat Miles, without the possible support from Lucien.

The Doctor looks down at his black patent shoes and the glossy wooden flooring under his feet. He feels Rose's cold hand slip into his and squeeze reassuringly. He is briefly aware of Lucien's thank you speech and everything else that is being said by Rodger Barratt. The words are muffled but he looks over to April who looks like she could kill Rodger Barratt right there and then. He doesn't blame her.

But then her face drops and her already pale face becomes ghostly pale. Max's jaw slowly falls open in shock and even Terry has a look of surprise anger across her usually blank face.

The Doctor then realises that Rose's hand is no longer in his and there are a few angry murmurings coming from the crowd. However it is as if his mind has purposefully blocked Rodger Barratt's voice out of his mind.

"Where are they? Where are the twins then?" Someone near the Doctor yells, suddenly bringing him back to his senses.

The Doctor looks at Rose's horror struck face before looking back to April and Max. Max is furious. April is blank. He then looks at Rodger Barratt and listens to every word he is saying.

"The Black Lighthouse is a form created by the Cytracik for which we cannot control _yet_," Rodger Barratt's voice is calm, trying to reassure his agitated audience. "That is why we have separated you from the beach so that forces at bay there cannot reach you. You all have to trust us when we say that we are doing our best to _contain_ it."

The Doctor looks over to April and Max. He has missed something in the time he stopped listening while he was sulking. He then turns to Rose.

"The Cytracik was created by my kind." Rodger Barratt announces.

The penny drops.

"There are only two unfortunate people on this Island who suffer from its consequences. But as a community, we must fight together in this war to keep the Cytracik safe. We cannot afford to lose it. We need to bring back the Cytrack to the Island and destroy anything that comes this way."

There is a thunderous cheer from the crowd as they defend their new King to-be. So it is as if the whole Island is going to be against them.

"And have no worries for the Day of Destruction will not be affected by this."

The Doctor and Rose knows that is a lie. The Day of Destruction was created in preparation for the Battle of the Cytracik.

The Doctor scans the crowd looking for the twins. But April is no longer there. Max and Terry are frantically looking around to look for April, but she is nowhere in sight.

But then what Rodger Barrat has just said suddenly hits the Doctor like a bullet. Rodger Barratt has just admitted about the Cytracik being created by the shape shifters. And therefore Rodger Barratt is the reason why the twins are dealing their their sufferings. He is the reason why Max is slowly dying from tuberculosis. He is the reason why April is so traumatised by watching her own death in her sleep. He is the reason why Declan and Suzette Hollerford are dead. The reason why UNIT are dead.

Because Declan got in the way during the battle and had the power to open the Cytracik, it is the shape shifter's duty to kill off the twins.

Max is already dying. Surely April isn't dying from her nightmare?

The Doctor is quickly reminded by her screams echoing through the Tardis when she was trapped in her own nightmare. And then all of a sudden, he is desperate to get back to the Tardis to save the Cytracik. He has to have it on him before it changes hands.

These thoughts are suddenly banished from the Doctor's mind as he feels the force of around twenty or more people pushing up against him.

"And because of this I wish to introduce you to this year's volunteer's for the Day of Destruction." Rodger Barrat says in an attempt to change the topic but his voice is being drowned out by the panic.

Everything is manic in the room. People try to get as close to the stage as they possibly can. They scream, shout and beg their Major to save them from the visitors across the universe. The crowd pushes towards the stage, the Doctor and Rose being squished up against the people in front of them.

However the crowd that has become completely manic starts being pushed back by soldiers in blue and white fencing suits. Their faces are covered over by a black fencing helmet.

The shape shifters are here out in the open, visible, but their tangled black faces are covered over by the fencing helmet. Everyone in the crowd takes no notice of the soldiers or the little tadpole-like creatures floating around. They are manic and desperate, crying out to the man who leads this Island.

The Doctor can barely hear anything that is going on as nothing but shouts ring in his ears. He takes Rose's hand in his and tries to push his way through the crowd, wanting to get to the shape shifters. They stand in a line in front of the stage like soldiers, pushing back the desperate crowd.

The Doctor then suddenly stops moving when a familiar man jumps onto the stage and aims his gun to Rodger Barratt. This man is in a black, long sleeved turtle neck jumper and bulletproof vest. The silver logo representing his company and his position flashes brightly on the left breast pocket of the vest.

Rodger Barratt's wife lets out a loud scream and his children recoil behind their mother, who covers her mouth with her hand.

No one in the crowd seems to notice this man on the stage.

However the sight of this man makes the Doctor furious.

One should feel happiness and excitement when seeing a close friend again. But right at this precise moment, seeing Brigadier Aaron Brimikawood once again only leaves the Doctor feeling infuriated and anxious.

Aaron Brimikawood holds his gun firmly in his hand, aiming it at Rodger Barratt. And Rodger Barratt almost looks as angry as the Doctor does at the sight of him. Aaron smirks slyly.

"Suppose you didn't think you'd be seeing me again, did you?" Aaron says in his very recognisable low, gruff voice.

And that is when the first of the Cybermen suddenly come crashing through the windows.


	10. IX - Enemies reunited

**IX  
Enemies reunited**

_The Island  
__Rodger Barratt's mansion_

Screams echo around the mansion as the Cybermen kick through the glass French windows and march inside. No one knows what to do. Everyone is in a state of panic. People try to make an escape route out through the large doorway but are only stopped by more Cybermen marching in.

Everything is manic.

Soon enough all the party goers are huddled in the centre on the living room, screaming a the sight of these tall steel men invading the party.

Rodger Barratt remains standing on the stage, staring down at the chaos below him. Anger slowly takes control. Aaron Brimikawood has come back. It is true that the parallel worlds are starting to collide.

Rodger Barratt hears his wife scream and before he has the chance to react, he feels a cold, steel hand grip him by the elbow and drag him to the edge of the stage. He looks over his shoulder to see two Cybermen standing guard of his family.

Surely these Cybermen will at least remember him?

The Doctor is aware of Aaron's presence beside him. He can feel his friend's eyes embedding on him, but for the moment, he does not want to speak to Aaron. Let alone give him what he wants by acknowledging him. This should not be happening.

The Doctor then holds onto his breath when he sees her.

Just through the gaps between people on the other side of the crowd stands Sarah-Jane Smith, glancing nervously at the people around her.

For a moment, the Doctor forgets the Cybermen around him and he has a desire to run to Sarah-Jane and embrace her, not wanting to lose her ever again.

Sarah-Jane catches his eye, fear flooding through her. But then this friendly desire of the Doctor disappears. If Sarah-Jane and Aaron are here, then the remaining UNIT members from that parallel world must be here with them too. The Doctor frowns at Sarah-Jane.

"For God's sake." The Doctor groans loudly, above the screams from the other party goers.

Aaron, hearing the Doctor, smirks. "Nice to see you too."

The Cybermen pushes everyone into a tight huddle in the centre of the room. Everyone grips onto each other for dear life. However not once has the Cybermen threatened to kill anyone.

"You might want to stay hidden, Doctor. Seeing as you're on the top of the list of the most wanted in the universe." Aaron says gruffly as he looks from one Cybermen to the other.

The Doctor does not say anything as he catches Rodger Barratt's eye. There is nothing but hatred written across his face. Even his wife looks like she wants to kill him too. But the Doctor turns his attention back to the Cybermen who try to silence all the screams.

"You will remain silent!" The Cybermen orders to the people around them, but this only results in more screams and panic.

The Cyberman by Rodger Barratt's side turns its head sharply to look at him. "You will take control," it orders sternly. "You will silence your people."

Rodger Barratt looks down at the manic scene before him before taking in a deep breath. "SILENCE." He bellows.

And indeed silence follows. Everyone immediately stops screaming and trying to get away from the steel men. Instead they suddenly pause, as if frozen in time, looking up to their Major. Eyes wild with fear. Not a breath can be heard.

"I want," Rodger Barratt continues in a strong voice. "For everyone to do as they are told. Anyone who fights back will be killed by these visitors."

Everyone exchanges glances before looking at a slightly taller Cyberman who steps in front of a group of people. The silver tubes on top of the Cyberman's head, linking onto the torch are black and it's armour seems like a darker shade of grey than the others.

"Initiating scan." The Cyberman leader declares and then suddenly, a bright blue light flashes, scanning everyone in the room.

"Ninety-nine percent human, originated from this Island." Another Cyberman says, once the blue light is turned off.

"Where is the Doctor?" The Cyberman leader asks.

Rose takes the Doctor's hand.

"Where is the Doctor?" The Cyberman repeats.

The Doctor takes one look at Aaron who nods. Aaron pulls out his gun and holds it in both his hands, ready to shoot if needed. The Doctor, still attached to Rose, steps through the crowd of people in front of him and steps into the small opening between the stage and the crowd.

All the Cybermen turn to look at him. Rose holds onto the Doctor's hand tighter.

"I'm here," The Doctor says darkly. "What do you want?"

"You are in ownership of the Cytracik." The Cyberman leader states.

"Yes I am," There is no time to beat around the bush. "It was handed over to me when you failed to open it."

"You will be handing it back over."

"I will not."

"This is your final warning. You will hand back the Cytracik."

The Doctor looks at the Cyberman for a while.

"And what happens if he refuses?" Max Hollerford queries as he steps out into the space. Instantly guns spurt out of the Cybermen's forearms as they aim at Max.

Suddenly, Sarah-Jane Smith, Martha Jones, Alic Grange, Aaron Brimikawood, Ireen Summerland, Jack Gruntler, Rex Middleton, Terry and Joseph Hollerford jump into the scene. All holding possession of guns, pointing them to the Cybermen. Everyone else in the room starts to scream in fright. But the Doctor holds up his hands in surrender.

"No there's no need for panic!" He shouts to everyone. "And there is no point fighting against the Cybermen. They will have their way."

"And what do you suggest, Doctor?" The Cyberman leader asks as it holds its aim to him.

"To be rid of this war." The Doctor says bitterly through his gritted teeth.

"The Cybermen will win! You will all surrender!"

There is a painfully long pause.

"There are many different species on their way to this Island right now," the Doctor says in a low voice. "Do you really think that you have a hundred percent chance at succeeding?"

"Nothing can beat the Cybermen!"

"We have beaten you before," the Doctor growls. "None of us know what we are going to be up against."

"You are a coward. And you will surrender."

But then Rodger Barratt speaks. "We will not surrender!"

The Doctor glares at Rodger Barratt. Wasn't he supporting the Cybermen back in the parallel world?

"No," the Doctor hisses to Rodger Barratt. "I'm telling you not to!"

"We will not surrender." Rodger Barratt declares, ignoring the Cyberman behind him, tightening its grip on his elbow.

But there is a look flittering across Rodger Barratt's face; a look only those who know his him for who he truly is will recognise. Rodger Barratt is trying to play a game.

"Right," Martha says calmly. "We are going to settle this now. Nobody shoots and nobody gets hurt. For now, we will do what we are all told to do."

The Cybermen leader turns its head sharply to Martha. "All shall kneel before us." It orders.

"I want everyone to do what it says." Rodger Barratt shouts above the scared mumbles of the crowd, feeling the Cyberman behind him push him down by his shoulders.

Everyone remains silent but bends down onto their knees. The Doctor catches Jack Gruntler's eye. Jack looks at the Doctor as if he is just waiting for him to think of something sensible to do.

"Major Rodger Barratt," The Cyberman leader says in its usual flat tone. "You are the creator of this Island. Your kind are the creators of the Cytracik. You are no longer any use to the Cybermen race. We need the Cytracik and you will hand it over."

"I am not in possession of the Cytracik." Rodger Barratt replies dully.

"You are the creator of the Cytracik. You will know how to take it back from the Doctor."

"We gave the Doctor the Cytracik for a reason. You remember that."

There is a brief pause before the Cyberman leader speaks. "You are nothing to us. Your work in that parallel world means nothing. This is the Battle of the Cytracik. Memories of the past no longer matter. This is a new era and the Cybermen will win this battle."

"No one knows the outcome of this battle!" The Doctor snaps. "You can't just make a prediction."

"The One-Who-Knows-All has made a prediction." The Cyberman leader says, still looking at Rodger Barratt.

The Doctor glances at Jack Gruntler who only smirks as he shakes his head.

"We will only ask one more time. A refusal will lead to an upgrade to Cybermen," The Cyberman leader takes a step closer to the edge of the stage where Rodger Barratt is kneeling on. "Do you surrender?"

Conveniently right at that precise moment, there is a sound. A sound of someone accidentally letting out a loud fart for which they may have been holding in for some time. The smell that follows is foul but no one mentions it.

It isn't until two people, a man and a woman dressed very smartly for the party joins the scene.

"We suppose that if everyone is showing their true colours than we might as well do the same," the man says before turning to see the Doctor and Rose. "We said that we will take our final revenge at the end of the Battle of the Cytracik."

Then in unison, the man and the woman, including a dozen others dotted around the room, raise their hands to their foreheads and pull the zips.

"Here we go." Rose mutters.

Everyone screams as the Slitheen starts to shed their human skins.

The Cybermen turns to the Slitheen and shoots in their direction. It turns out that their shots are completely useless against the Slitheen. When they realise this, they stop and look at these green giants that have peeled their way out of the human skins. Their jet black eyes look straight into the Cybermen's soulless eyes.

"Identify as to what you are." The Cyberman leader orders.

"We are the Slitheen family." The one closest replies.

"Where have you travelled from?"

"We do not answer to steel men. Identify yourselves."

"We are the Cybermen. What is your purpose here?"

Rose rolls her eyes. Once again she is here experiencing a game of twenty questions between two different alien life forms.

"We are hear to claim our possession of the Cytracik." The Slitheen announces.

"You will not come close to claiming the Cytracik. We will take it." The Cyberman leader's robotic voice suddenly seems sterner than usual.

The Slitheen looks at its other family members. "Excuse me but we may have overheard the Time Lord say that you failed to open the Cytracik. You have insufficient power to open it. Not like Declan Hollerford had."

The mention of Declan's name by a strange, green alien, sparks anger in Max. "Why are you here?" He shouts.

The Slitheen turns to look down at Max Hollerford. "The Lost Brother. What a pleasant surprise. We are sure the Ice Girl is around here somewhere. She made quite a performance in our last meeting." the Slitheen is then suddenly met by Joseph Hollerford standing in front of it.

For the first time, Joseph looks nothing like the butler they first met at Jack Gruntler's house back in Scotland. Here Joseph stands tall and proud, despite his age, and there is a flicker of anger across his face, very alike Declan.

"If you dare lay a slimy claw on my grandchildren, you will have to cross me first!" Joseph growls.

The Slitheen blinks as if in mild confusion, but before it has the chance to react, Aaron is suddenly in front of Joseph.

"There are a lot of people willing to stand in your way to stop you from making a move towards the twins, the Doctor or even the Cytracik." Aaron declares.

Aaron is then surrounded by Rose, Martha, Alic, Ireen, Sarah-Jane, Rex, Jack Gruntler, and Morgarn. Noticing Morgarn with the group, Rodger Barratt turns his head to look at Ellis standing the other volunteers. Ellis looks directly at him with fire in his eyes. Rodger Barratt only sighs and shakes his head before looking back to the two species of aliens before him.

Martha smirks. "There are more than you think who are willing to stand up against you."

"Well then I guess it is a means to an end. We will have no trouble killing you off." The Slitheen replies, but before it could raise its claw to take a swipe against its enemy, there is an overbearing smell of vinegar.

Suddenly the Slitheen starts to scream in pain as the vinegar burns away at its skin. This only lasts a couple of seconds before the creature explodes and chaos erupts again in the mansion. Everyone starts to scream and escape from the Cybermen and the Slitheen who start to attack each other.

That is when the Doctor bumps straight into an unexpected visitor. Someone he has only met once and who he never expected to cross paths again.

Aiden Haulman. The welshman who owned the pub back in 1984.

There is a stunned silence between the Doctor and Aiden as they both recognise each other. Aiden is then the first to speak.

"I saw her. April. She has run to the cliff side. I saw her climbing a steep pathway up the side of the cliff. I think it's your chance to follow her." Aiden says, patting the Doctor's arm like an old friend.

"But how did you get here?" The Doctor asks, completely bewildered.

"More of that later. Just go!"

With that, the Doctor finds himself being pushed. And then he runs.

There is nothing but chaos in the mansion and to the Doctor, there is nothing but a blur of colours and muffled screams around him as he desperately claws his way through the manic crowd. Using the power from UNIT, he makes up his mind that once he passes through the front doors, he will be up on the cliff. For now he is thinking to go to where the Tardis stands, knowing that that is where April would most likely go.

That's when he feels a sudden heavy weight on his back and he falls to the ground. Someone who was invited to the party has suddenly decided to attack him. Because now it is clear that the Doctor might be an enemy to the Island.

Seeing this, Aaron grabs the collar of the man's blazer and pulls him off the Doctor's back. He punches the man square in the face before tossing him to the side as if he is a rag doll. He then pulls the Doctor back onto his feet. For a moment they forget about the drama around them as they stare at each other.

"I don't care, just go." Aaron growls deeply.

The Doctor frowns.

"April needs you now more than ever, you can't let her out of your sight. You know what this place does to her. Just go and we'll catch up with you."

The Doctor says nothing but nods as Aaron slaps him on the shoulder. He turns and starts running through the crowd again, pushing and shoving his way through back to the main hallway and out through the front doors.

The first thing the Doctor notices the the bitterly cold air. Then the light coming from the horizon. Then the silence, followed by the sound of crashing waves. The Tardis rumbles as if to say hello.

The Doctor opens his eyes to see the Tardis standing proudly in front of him. Behind his ship is the view of the beach and the Black Lighthouse. The early signs of dawn appears in the dark sky and yet compared to the harsh waves smacking into the shore, there are no signs of an oncoming storm.

"Thought it wouldn't be long before you'd show up." April's voice is flat and somewhat harsh, just like it was when they first met.

The Doctor spins around to look at April standing there behind him with her arms folded across her chest.

"Well I couldn't let you go alone tonight. Besides, hell has broken lose back at the mansion. The Cybermen and the Slitheen have showed their faces. That's what I was trying to warn you during the speech."

April stares at the Doctor before nodding. She remembers the frantic gestures he made to his forehead, probably hinting to the zip to reveal the Slitheen's costume.

"You're going to have to let me go after this." April says confidently.

"For what?"

"You're going to have to let me do this alone, Doctor. That lighthouse has far more meaning to me than it does to anyone else so it should make sense if I go inside the lighthouse alone."

"Heat Miles will be in there."

"I know that," her voice is calm which surprises the Doctor. "I also know that you hate me for whatever Jack Gruntler said to you."

"I could never hate you, April." The Doctor says as he takes a step closer to her.

"Well I've felt nothing but hatred from you since the moment we got here."

"And I've felt nothing but hatred from you since we left that parallel world," the Doctor then remembers the appearance of some of the remaining UNIT soldiers. "When did you leave the party?"

April zips her white hoodie up to her neck. "Halfway through Rodger Barratt's speech. Just when he announced mine and Max's problems."

For some reason the Doctor feels a little relieved that she did not witness Aaron Brimikawood's appearance. She still has no idea that they are here. Despite how angry this makes the Doctor, knowing that they have travelled from one parallel universe to another, he puts this to the back of his mind. "And you left your brother there?"

"He can handle himself."

There is a long pause. Their silence is carried away with the wind. The Doctor and April stare at each other for a while, not knowing where their friendship is going.

"I..." the Doctor pauses before swallowing the lump in his throat. "I thought you were dead, April. I thought you had killed yourself. I saw you jump into that river. I was there with you and I saw you lose consciousness. I honestly believed that you had done the stupidest thing in the world and killed yourself."

April stares at the Doctor, not expecting him to bring this up. She shrugs. "But I'm still here."

"That's not the point, April! I spent a long time blaming myself. I knew that I was the reason why you tried to do that."

"Doctor you weren't." She guiltily looks away from him.

"And when I came back, I find that you still hate me. You told me to clear off and I did for a while. The weeping angels did that for you."

There is another pause. April and the Doctor stare at each other. The wind blowing heavily around them.

"What's happening to us, Doctor?" April's voice breaks as she says this.

Without a second thought, the Doctor and April almost run to each other and embrace. The Doctor holds her close to him as if he will lose her if he lets go. April allows him to do this, suddenly feeling safe for the brief moments she stands there with him. All her fears and anger towards the Doctor evaporates. This man saved her life. He is the reason why she is still alive. And the least she can do is to pull through the demons in her head for him.

When the Doctor pulls away, he holds both her arms in his hands. He looks at April as if trying to search for an answer.

"What is it, April? What won't you tell me?" The Doctor asks.

April sighs and looks directly into the Doctor's eyes. "There's two and a half thousand people in this village, Doctor, and only one of us can save them."

Her words makes the Doctor's heart thump heavily in his chest, but he knows she is correct. He knows that Jack Gruntler is correct. It is up to her now. She has to do this herself and he is only there to support her.

The Doctor releases April before putting his hand in the inside pocket of his jacket. He pulls out his sonic screwdriver and his psychic paper before pressing them in April's hands.

"Whatever you choose to do, these will help you." The Doctor says.

April's scowl becomes harsher than usual. "Won't you be needing these?"

The Doctor hesitates briefly. "No, not right now. They're better off in your hands," he pauses before placing a firm hand on April's shoulder, exactly how Jack used to do before announcing something to him. "Just remember what it is you are fighting for."

_You, _April thinks, but she only nods. "I know."

The Doctor smiles weakly, but his attention is drawn to the Lighthouse.

April turns and looks in the same direction.

The Black Lighthouse flashes for the first time.


	11. X - Inside the Black Lighthouse

**X  
Inside the Black Lighthouse**

_The Island  
__The Black Lighthouse_

April never imagined she would see the day she comes this close to the Black Lighthouse.

It is as tall as she expected, if not taller. It looms over her like a malicious giant, and she cannot shake off the feeling that she is being watched by this Lighthouse. Almost as if it is staring right at her as she is staring at it. The shadow behind her seems to have disappeared, yet her headache seems to have increased.

April reaches the gate in the low stone wall. The wall attaches to the side of the cliff to her left – which now also looms over her – and runs all along the beach, ending at the shore. The end of the stone wall has eroded away from the harsh waves. She hesitates before placing a hand over one of the cold iron bars. The gates let out a terrible screech as she pushes it open, making her flinch. But she proceeds nevertheless.

The land behind the stone wall is nothing to what April expected. She finds herself standing in wet sand and knows that she'll soon start to sink if she doesn't make a move. From the angle she sees in her nightmare, April imagined that there would be grass on this side of the wall and always wondered if the land stretched out to somewhere unknown. Instead she is met a very claustrophobic area that is surrounded by the sea. The Black Lighthouse looms in front of her whereas the cliff looms behind.

But then April notices the little flicker in the air not far behind the Black Lighthouse. Exactly the same as the waver around the festival.

A forcefield surrounds this Island.

Self consciously pulling the sleeves of her hoodie over her fists, April makes her way towards the Lighthouse, squelching through the wet sand.

Around the back of the Black Lighthouse, April finds a large silver, iron door. The door seems ten times taller and wider than she is and yet it seems less threatening than the front of the Lighthouse.

Aware of how close the forcefield is behind her, April looks to the keypad in the wall by the door. There are twelve buttons on the pad with different symbols engraved on each silver surface. But beside the scanner is an ID check.

For a moment April debates using the psychic paper, but then thinks better of it. She pulls out the sonic screwdriver and holds it tightly in her hands. It must have meant a lot to the Doctor to have handed both his sonic screwdriver and the psychic paper to her. Despite their recent quarrels, April knows how much he trusts her and she can't help but to love him back.

But right now there is a task at hand.

April shines the sonic screwdriver over the keypad and the ID scanner. She scans it for a couple of minutes, listening to the whirring sound the screwdriver makes when reading something. April briefly remembers the Doctor having said something about knowing when the job is done down by the sound of the sonic screwdriver.

But then there is a click and the keypad flashes a green light. The iron doors to the Black Lighthouse opens.

April never thought about what she might find inside the Black Lighthouse. On days that she did wonder, she only imagined darkness.

And yet a brightly lit laboratory is not something she has been expecting.

The room in the Black Lighthouse is circular and the walls are a brilliant white. The flooring underneath her feet is stone. The laboratory is filled with computers and different machinery being used for experimentation. There are two men working silently in the laboratory and for a moment it is as if they are unaware of April walking in.

However, what grabs April's attention is not the machinery around her, nor the two Heat Miles workers, or even the fact that the iron door swings closed on its own accord, shutting her inside the Black Lighthouse, but it is what's above her. April's walk eventually slows down and she stops once she reaches the centre of the lighthouse, looking up.

Above her is what looks like a sea of dark blue electrical mist. There are flecks of black shadows swimming inside the mist. This mist hangs in the air quite a few feet above her and yet it covers the whole area of the Black Lighthouse.

And so this is what Heat Miles is working on to try and figure out.

April stands there, looking up at the mist with her mouth hanging open, feeling like she is being drawn closer and closer to this mist. Her mind seems like it is slowly starting to cloud over.

She is vaguely aware of the man standing beside her.

"Excuse me, miss, can I help you?" The man in the white lab coat asks, looking at April with a bewildered expression. When she does not reply, the man lifts his hand and clicks in her line of vision.

April jolts suddenly as if coming back to her senses. She looks away from the mist and takes in this man for the first time. He is dressed in a smart black suit and the white lab coat holds his name badge: Charles Stone. His flaming red hair, flecked with white here and there is combed over to one side. He is at least a couple of inches smaller than April is. April blinks a couple of times as she quickly remembers what she is here for.

Charles raises his thick, bushy eyebrows. "Can I help?"

"What's that?" April asks, pointing up to the mist.

"Yes, I advise you to not look at that for too long. The Black Lighthouse Void has a habit of drawing your senses away." Charles says as he fiddles with his clipboard.

"The Void?"

"Yes," Charles clears his throat. "Can I do something for you? Only workers with lab coats are allowed entry into the Black Lighthouse," Charles looks to the entrance doors and back to April in bemusement. "How did you even get in?"

"The Major sent me over on a special mission. He wants me to check on things for the Day of Destruction and our coming visitors. So don't mind me." April replies without further hesitation, surprising herself at how easy it was to come up with a lie.

"May I have a look at your ID, please?" Charles holds out his hand, looking expectantly at April.

April forces a smile and hands him the psychic paper. In the seconds that follows, before Charles looks at her fake ID, April quickly calls herself Ms Robinson from the communications department of Heat Miles.

Charles opens the psychic paper and it only takes him a second before he half smirks. April's heart starts to beat fast as he does this.

"Where did you get this from?" Charles asks as he waves the psychic paper. He sighs when April fails to come up with an excuse. "You see, I think I know the Ice Girl when I see her. And even when my memory fails me, we here at Heat Miles have psychic training. I can spot a gadget from a Time Lord a mile off. This," he holds up the psychic paper. "May fool someone else. But to us, this is a blank. The Ice Girl can't hide from us."

April swallows before clenching her fists. Now she has got herself into trouble.

Charles pulls out a 1980s style mobile phone and starts tapping away. There is a bleep and Charles holds it to his lips. "This is Stone calling from the Black Lighthouse. Seal the doors. The Ice Girl has come in with an attempted fake identification. I do not know how she managed to get inside."

There is a moment of silence and Charles looks somewhat agitated when there isn't a reply.

"I repeat. The Ice Girl is here in the Black Lighthouse. Seal the doors. I ask if we should release the Beast?" There is another pause. "Seal the doors, I repeat."

There is a click that sounds like the door locking. But Charles still looks agitated.

"What is going on?" He mutters under his breath.

"What do you mean by release the Beast?" April asks.

Charles stares at April. "I thought you would at least know. One of our weapons. Where have you been living? I'm sure your Doctor will know all about it. It will come to exterminate you."

April's heart drops as she stares at Charles.

Charles raises an eyebrow quizzically. "You should have thought twice about breaking in here if extermination scares you," he then frowns as he looks over April's shoulder towards the iron door which is still making strange clicking sounds. "Okay Hoffman, do you mind seeing what the door is doing?"

_Hoffman_. April's mind is racing. What is going on?

The second worker turns from his work bench and looks directly at April.

"Checking now, sir." He says, and his voice makes the hairs on the back of April's neck stand on end.

It takes all of April to not cry out in shock as Captain Jason Hoffman grins broadly at her. He shakes his head ever so slightly to stop her from making any sound and blowing his cover. April scowls at Jason as he passes her, heading towards the door.

Captain Jason Hoffman, the first soldier from UNIT who made her feel at home in the parallel world, is here with her. He is here inside the Black Lighthouse with her. But how can this be possible? She was never supposed to see him again. This thought quickly vanishes when April suddenly finds herself grinning to herself with glee, only caring for the fact that Jason is here with her! She stops smiling instantly when she meets Charles' eye.

"Don't know what you are smirking about." Charles hisses before continuing to press away at the metal device he is holding.

April stares down at her white muddy trainers, biting on her lips as she tries to comprehend exactly how this is possible. Her mind is filled with a mixture of emotions and the butterflies of nerves flutter in her stomach. She feels happiness for seeing her friend again who she thought she would never see again, but also confusion as the Doctor and Aaron Brimikawood said that the line between their two parallel worlds had been closed forever. The fact that Jason is miraculously here on the Island and in the Black Lighthouse suddenly terrifies her. April knows that Jason will not be here working for Heat Miles. He must be here working under cover. But for what? Surely Jason has not travelled to this Island alone?

April glances up to the Void above her. Something about this Void is a little too suspicious. But then Jason's voice brings her back to the present moment, just as her mind starts to drift into the Void.

"Sir, there's something wrong with the door." Jason calls out.

Charles lets out an audible groan.

April looks at Charles. "So you didn't go to the party then?"

"Someone has to stay behind and work," he mutters before joining Jason at the iron door. "The doors should be sealed. It will only open on the Major's voice activator. What the hell is it doing?"

April listens to the strange clicking sounds coming from inside the door and looks over to the large, rusty cabinets in the far corner of the laboratory, having seen something else in her peripheral vision. But that's when she sees it. A stone arm and a flutter of a wing, but it is gone with a blink of an eye. April's scowl becomes harsh once more as she stares at this rusty cabinets. She then catches the tail end of what is being said between Jason and Charles.

"The door is being locked from the outside!" Jason hisses urgently. "It means that we cannot get out. Something can get in but until then we are stuck here!"

April turns just in time to see the panic stricken look on Charles' face.

"Now I suppose you should call for back up before something comes here to get us." Jason warns.

"I don't know who you think you are, Hoffman, but I am in charge of this shift tonight! There must be a fault in the manufacturing of this door. Unfortunately the Major and everyone else is busy with the party tonight. We are going to have to stay here until someone answers our call in the morning."

To April it seems very suspicious for Rodger Barratt to ignore something like this. But then she remembers what the Doctor said: The Cybermen and the Slitheen have gate crashed the party.

Suddenly, April, Jason and Charles are thrown off their feet and they land on the stone flooring with a harsh fall. Paperwork falls everywhere and there is dust in the air. The Black Lighthouse shakes as if an earthquake is erupting.

However, the moment the shaking stops, Charles looks up to the Void.

"Good God," Charles gasps. "The Void is parting!"

Jason and April look up at the Void and see the gap in the centre slowing opening.

* * *

"How did you do it?" Jack Gruntler asks the Cyberman leader.

The chaos in the party has been silenced but the mansion is filled with the stomping of the Cybermen as they march the guests out of the mansion in single file. Jack Gruntler was furious when he realised that the ten volunteers snuck out of the mansion while the chaos erupted. So he thought that for the final time, he will take matters in his own hands. The Slitheen stand by and watch, ready to kill when needed. However the father of the Slitheen family keeps a close eye on the Cyberman leader.

"You were formed in a parallel world. You belonged there and you were destroyed there. How did you travel from one parallel universe to another? How could you survive that? There's only one human being in every universe that can do that and that is me." Jack's fury rings through his voice. He is straight to the point, knowing that since this mission Declan gave the Doctor of saving April, the Doctor seems to make excuses to bend around the main point.

"The Cytracik has a calling," the Cyberman leader replies. "It called to us when the time was right."

"Because if one alien race from a parallel world can get here then that means that other life forms from other parallel universes can get here too."

"And what do you suggest?"

"I suggest we end this battle _now_," Jack says calmly. "This world should have never existed but it does because of one man who could open the Cytracik. And now this world is colliding with many different worlds. There won't be any of us left by the end of it!"

"The Cybermen will win this battle!"

"No one is going to win this battle because the Cytracik must be destroyed!" Jack snaps.

Instantly a gun spurts out the arm of the Cyberman leader and it aims at Jack.

Jack Gruntler only chuckles. "Are you really going to kill the One-Who-Knows-All? How about the man who started it all?" Jack looks to Rodger Barratt who has two Cybermen at either side of him. Then Jack narrows his eyes. "You created a device you cannot even overpower yourself," he turns back to the Cyberman leader, asking a question he already knows the answer to.

Aaron, Rose, Terry, Max, Martha, Alic, Rex, Sarah-Jane and Ireen stand all around them with their hands behind their heads. There is a Cyberman standing behind each and every one of them.

"Tell me, how did you get here?" Jack asks.

"We were invited." The Cyberman leader replies.

"And that goes the same with you?" Jack asks the Slitheen.

The father Slitheen speaks. "We followed pursuit. We had a calling and we followed."

"Who invited you?" Jack asks the Cyberman leader.

"The man who is in charge of the Cybermen. Major Rodger Barratt." The Cyberman leader turns its head to look at Rodger Barratt.

"Well there's a pleasant surprise. What a way to gain the trust of the villagers of your own Island." Aaron interjects but groans in pain when the Cyberman behind him grabs his elbow.

Rodger Barratt holds his arms out to the side. "I am only doing my duty."

Rose frowns. "Before we left the festival," she says. "We saw something engraved on the table. What is the BL Void?"

Jack Gruntler looks at Rose. "The Black Lighthouse Void," he replies darkly. "It is the passageway between this world and everywhere else in all universes combined. The mass of this Void is far bigger than any black hole in the universe. The only thing that can pass through that Void is the next thing to open the Cytracik. The next thing that holds the most power. The Void formed after Declan opened the Cytracik and it creates the next chosen one," he turns to Rodger Barratt, just catching the mixture of anger and realisation cross his face. "Guess you didn't know that while you were sending your workers to try and study it. Your little steel army here did not pass through the Black Lighthouse Void. Perhaps you are not as powerful as your own creation."

"So what does that mean?" Ireen asks. "What is the thing that will come through?"

"I don't know yet," Jack sighs. "But it is the black shadow in April's nightmare," Jack looks at Max. "It's the thing that kills your sister every night in her sleep."

Max makes a move to attack the Cybermen and the Slitheen around him, but the Cyberman behind him forces him to his knees.

Aaron turns to Rodger Barratt. "Any idea when the rest of the universe is going to turn up?"

"I don't know!" Rodger Barratt snaps. "It was bad enough when you showed your face and the Doctor. All I know is that it is between now and the start of the Day of Destruction. I invited the Cybermen because they are my army. I wasn't expecting anything to follow them and crash my party. I designed the Cybermen's entrance to make it look dramatic. I need these villagers on my side! I have no idea what else is on its way to this Island. Then we discovered the Void. When we first got here, we didn't know what to do so we shut civilisation off from the beach. I always knew there is a dark omen radiating from it. We just couldn't find what. All I know is that the if the Ice Girl enters the Black Lighthouse, it will only trigger the Void to open."

"You don't understand," Max pleads. "April is there already! She wants to enter the lighthouse herself!"

There is a pause of silence as they all know it. April turning up to the Black Lighthouse will only release the shadow into the Island. The shadow that will kill her.

"Oh shit." Aaron hisses.

The Doctor who has been hiding behind the golden door leading from the living room into the grand hallway since he came back from seeing April, listens to everything that is being said.

For years the Battle of the Cytracik has been haunting the Doctor and now it all fits into place and they finally have answers. However the Doctor feels far more scared than he did when he was clueless.

He looks at the Tardis he parked in the hallway with him. They have to get April out.

* * *

"This is emergency 5547," Charles cries desperately through every intercom in the laboratory, hoping to reach at least someone from the Heat Miles base. "The Black Lighthouse Void is alive! I repeat the Void is alive! There is something inside it. For Gods sake can someone hear me?! The Void has been activated! Activated by the Ice Girl!" Charles stumbles on his feet when the Black Lighthouse shakes again.

April and Jason stand in the middle of the laboratory, looking up at the Void which seems to be shooting harsh electrical charges all through the dark mist.

"Do you know what's on the other side of that?" April asks.

Jason takes her hand in his and holds it tightly. "Yes and no I guess you could say."

"What do you mean by that?" April snaps as another electrical charge is shot across the room.

Jason turns to look at April and grins. Despite this happening, he still has the heart to smile. "It's good to see you again, buttercup."

April looks at Jason and smiles weakly. "It's good to see you too, Captain."

The Black Lighthouse shakes again and April and Jason hold onto each other tightly. Charles joins them.

"I can't get through to anyone." he says and then frowns as he notices Jason and April holding each other. Jason is no longer wearing the lab coat, but a white t-shirt which is always worn under the UNIT uniform. "Hoffman, what are you doing?"

"Hoffman, that's right. Captain Jason Hoffman from United Nations Intelligence Taskforce." Jason smirks. Hearing Jason say that fills April with pride.

There is another shake before Charles can comment on anything.

"What is happening?" April asks.

"We're about to find out which species will be the next to open the Cytracik." Jason replies.

"How do you know that?" Charles snaps.

"Because UNIT has done the research for you, mate."

"Do you know what it is?" April says.

Jason hesitates.

April notices this. "Tell me!" She snaps.

Jason, a little taken aback by her anger speaks but keeps his eyes on the Void above them. "Have you wondered why you cannot see the shadow over your shoulder any more? Did it start to disappear the moment you stepped on the beach?" He eventually looks at April. "I'm sorry but you're going to have to face it now."

April looks up at Jason with her eyes, her scowl becoming more and more harsh and threatening. "What?"

"The thing that kills you every night in you nightmare is on the other side of this Void. And it is the next thing to have the power to open the Cytracik," Jason feels April's hand go limp in his. "Hang in there, buttercup."

There is a loud, almost deafening creak that echoes around the laboratory. April, Jason and Charles look up at the Void. The split in the middle slowly starts to pull open.

"Here we go." Jason mutters before pulling out a gun from his pocket. Not an ordinary gun, but a Declan Hollerford invented gun. Charles looks somewhat horrified at this powerful gun but turns his attention back to the Void when they start to hear voices.

And these robotic voices are horrifically familiar to April and Jason. Jason feels April tremble at his side and he squeezes her hand tighter.

_We have been summoned._

_We have been summoned._

_WE HAVE BEEN SUMMONED._

The horrific robotic voices are enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. But April and Jason are about to meet an old enemy. If April fears the shadow that kills her, she also fears these metaltrons. But having these metaltrons as that shadow makes it worse.

The Void is now fully open.

"_We have been summoned__. The Ice Girl is here!"_

There is a blinding white light. But the light vanishes seconds later and the Black Lighthouse stops shaking. There in front of them stands five Daleks.


	12. XI - The volunteers

**XI  
The volunteers**

_The Island  
__Cul-de-sac_

With his coat collar turned up, trying to conceal as much of this face as he can, Ellis marches through the streets of the Island, desperate to get as far away from the mansion as he possibly can. The moment things started to get out of hand at the party, the group of volunteers all exchanged one look and they knew what to do. Ellis was the last to leave from the group, knowing that he will meet them at his house soon.

Now he marches through the dark streets of the Island, trying to get back home as quickly as he can.

Two years ago, while Ellis was working away in his office at the Heat Miles base, Lucien suggested an idea to Rodger Barratt that the party at the mansion should be recorded and broadcast live on television. As well as the Day of Description itself, the Major's party is also a huge date on the calendar. Everyone dreams of being invited to the party. It is also where those who volunteer for the race get their five minutes of fame before they will inevitably be killed off in the woods. However this thought makes Ellis laugh to himself. He bets that Rodger Barratt is pretty thankful he declined Lucien's idea of broadcasting the party on television. He certainly would not want anyone else on this Island to find out that their King to-be invited steel men to come to the Island, making it out to be aliens gate crashing the party.

The sky is still dark and the wind blows bitterly around Ellis, but he keeps his head low, hoping that no one will see him. It is very early in the morning. There is at least another few more hours before any sign of daylight will appear, so surely all the citizens will be asleep in their homes.

However, Ellis is wrong. Just as he reaches the entrance of the cul-de-sac, he finds a rather tall and broad shouldered man standing under the light of a lamppost. This man is also trying his best to conceal his face under the collar of his long, dark blue coat. The black beanie hat conceals his hair but his unkempt, natural blond curls still show underneath. The man smokes a cigarette.

For a second Ellis hesitates under the glow of the street lamps, but relaxes as he recognises the sight of Will Sullivan: the Lieutenant of UNIT who is helping the volunteers in preparing for their revolution.

Or at least this is who Ellis is hoping he is for he has not met Will Sullivan yet. The other volunteers have – apparently. They said that Will turned up on his own, a few weeks before his fellow soldiers from UNIT did. It seems that he is working alone to UNIT but keeps quiet about it. Ellis is yet to meet him and find out.

But this Will Sullivan looks a little different to the headshot Morgarn showed him. The Will had short, perfectly trimmed blond hair and there was a glint of smugness in his grey-blue eyes. But the Will Sullivan standing a few feet away from him looks angry, if not distant. And his hair looks unkempt. It is longer, almost uncared for and forgotten. His short hair has now grown into little curls. As he leans against the lamppost, he also looks down at the gravel on the pavement, a somewhat quizzical expression across his face as if he has never seen gravel before.

The truth is that Will is the reason why all the volunteers are together starting this revolution. Ellis brought up the idea but it was this Will Sullivan who started it. If Morgarn didn't introduce bringing Will to this Island, this would not be happening.

Ellis takes in a deep breath and slowly starts to approach Will.

"Lieutenant Sullivan?" Ellis calls softly when he is only a few feet away.

Will looks up and registers Ellis Lustworve for the first time: a tall, somewhat scruffy looking man with a thick dark beard and brown hair.

No words are exchanged between the two men but Ellis moves forward and joins Will under the light of the lamppost. Will takes out another cigarette and lights it. He offers one to Ellis who refuses.

"This Island is very different to your home," Ellis says in a low voice as he looks nervously around to the houses in the cul-de-sac. "You don't know how many people may be watching us through their windows. Standing under the light isn't the best cover."

"Well then let them watch." Will replies sternly.

Ellis watches this man as he exhales deeply. There is something in Will's eyes. Something that is being clouded over by anger and revenge. There are crease marks in his forehead showing where he must have been constantly frowning. Ellis can guess that something is troubling this Lieutenant.

Ellis extends his hand to Will to shake.

"I'm Ellis Lustworve. I'm number eight on the volunteering list."

"Yes I know who you are." Will mutters. "There's no need to explain yourself. We have business to get on with."

For a moment Will and Ellis just stare at each other, Will looking somewhat expectantly. But then Ellis quickly remembers that the others are currently at his house.

"We better get going." Ellis says before taking one more nervous glance around the houses in the cul-de-sac. The windows seem empty of people, but he knows that it is not to be trusted. They need to move out of sight now.

Will nods for Ellis to lead the way and they walk silently, side-by-side along the road. Ellis avoids walking under any more street lamps just so that if there is anyone spying on them and that they can't see through the darkness where they are going. The plus side to living in this cul-de-sac is that Ellis is easily concealed amongst the other villagers. Only Heat Miles knows his address. But being a volunteer brings along fame across the Island. Ellis hopes to keep away from the spotlight as much as possible. This years volunteers are not doing this race for what is expected of them.

Will inhales his cigarette continuously, almost as if he is desperate to have it all in one go. Ellis says nothing about this but is silently thankful. There is nothing he hates more than having his daughter constantly inhale cigarette smoke. Especially in the house.

Once the cigarette has reached the end of its life, Will throws it to the side and slumps his hands into his coat pockets. There is a harsh scowl on his face but they still remain silent as they walk over the stone driveway leading to Ellis' house.

However once they reach the opening into the front garden to his house, they can already tell that things are manic inside. The other volunteer's voices are heard in a loud heated discussion. It's enough to wake up the whole cul-de-sac. Ellis groans loudly before opening the front door to his home.

At first he is met with the warmth from the fire crackling away in the fireplace. But he is then met with the heavy smell of cigarette smoke.

Then Amelia comes rushing over to him in a panic.

"Daddy, daddy!" Amelia cries over the sound of the shouts from everyone else. She runs into her father's arm.

"Hey it's okay, sweetheart. Don't worry, daddy's here." Ellis says calmly as he brushes down Amelia's blonde hair.

"No, daddy, I can hear her again," Amelia says, pulling away from Ellis. "Mummy is calling through the walls again."

Ellis hesitates for a moment before glancing up at Will. He catches his eye for a moment, but Will quickly looks away and walks over to the nine other volunteers, shouting at each other from across the dining room table. Ellis waits until Will is greeted by Morgarn before he turns back to Amelia.

"Nothing is to be said of this okay?" He whispers.

Amelia nods before hastily wiping away the tears on her cheeks.

Ellis takes hold of the silver ring on his pinkie finger and twists it three times. For a split second, he feels exceedingly light-headed, but before he loses his balance completely, the feeling disappears as quickly as it came.

Ellis' mind is now in two places. One that is now moving to the havoc in the kitchen, wanting to talk to the other volunteers to plan the revolution, and the second that wants to take his daughter away from the scene.

Before anyone can notice, the second Ellis picks up Amelia and runs upstairs, completely unnoticed. This Ellis walks into his bedroom and closes the door behind him before turning to Amelia who no longer looks scared.

"You need to stop this!" Ellis warns. "This talk about hearing your mother through the walls."

"She's calling for help though!" Amelia insists.

"Stop!" Ellis snaps a littler harsher than intended. "Please, Amelia, no more! Your mother is..." Ellis pauses for a moment as he chokes on his words. "Your mother is no longer here with us. She is gone. Honest to God I would do anything to have her back, sweetheart. But you must stop this nonsense," Ellis crouches down in front of Amelia. "You're scaring me okay. Enough of this silly talk. Is that understood?"

Amelia says nothing for a long while as she looks at her father. "I'm sorry, daddy." She eventually mumbles. Ellis hugs her tightly.

Ellis takes Amelia into her bedroom and tucks her in bed. He sits by her side and waits for her to completely fall into a peaceful sleep. Things downstairs are quiet and Ellis knows that he is also downstairs in the kitchen liaising with everyone with what is to be done.

He takes a look down at the silver ring on his pinkie finger and twists it once backwards. Head rush hits him very quickly as the ring takes him back at least an hour. An hour ago where he first split himself in two.

Ellis finds himself back downstairs, looking at the havoc in the kitchen. Will Sullivan is just being greeted by Morgarn with a couple of kisses on the cheek, and Ellis knows that his other self is behind him, running to take Amelia upstairs. Ellis walks towards the kitchen.

The shouts echo around the kitchen coming from the other eight volunteers. Morgarn seems too concerned about Will. But the rest are angry about something. And Ellis can only guess what it is: Rodger Barratt.

Zane, Orion, Buddy, Joshua, Kace, Kathryn, Billie and Blake. Four males and three females stand around the wooden table shouting at each other. These are the people who Ellis have known for as long as he can remember. He has known these people since the moment this Island came alive. And they are the only people on this Island he can trust; the only ones who can see the fault in Heat Miles. The ones who really knows what the Day of Destruction is for.

Ellis slams his fist on the table, immediately silencing everyone. "ENOUGH!" He yells.

Everyone's eyes are on Ellis.

Ellis calms his anger for a moment before he speaks again. "We need a new place to meet up," he says sternly. "Heat Miles knows my address and I fear they may already know something is up with us. If we can find somewhere to use as a base."

"The barn," Billie suggests as she pulls her blonde dreadlocks over one shoulder. "My husband owns the barn for the cattle. But we're at the time of year where the barn isn't so much in use."

Ellis looks at Billie for a while. "Where is it?"

"A few miles west from here. It's not too far from the shoreline on the west side of this Island," Billie pauses for a moment. "No one really ventures around that area."

"That's sorted," Ellis claims. "What else? What is bothering everyone?"

Zane, a twenty year old boy sits on the tabletop and rests his feet on a chair. "That Lucien is now going to be the new Major. If anything was going to be worse than having Rodger Barratt as a King, it's that."

The others nod in agreement.

"Lucien will have us killed for sure," Orion, a tall, muscular black man says as he rolls up his shirt sleeves. "He's in control of their weapon in their cell."

"Yes about that." Morgarn perks up before anything else is said.

Everyone turns their attention to her.

"Go on then." Ellis urges.

Morgarn looks at Will who only glares at her. Will then sighs before looking at everyone else.

"Their weapon is not a machine or a gun or a bomb of a sort," Will starts in a low voice. "Their weapon is a man. Monroe Setzik. My old friend."

There is a stir in the room as everyone digests the news.

"I don't believe it," Kace mutters as she runs her hands through her dark hair. "They've locked a man inside a soundproof cell for how long now?"

"Five years I think. Probably more." Ellis replies as he stares down at the tabletop. He did not believe that Heat Miles would ever bring torture into their work.

"1774," Morgarn says. "Monroe has been locked in that cell since 1774 when Heat Miles was founded."

There is another stir in the room at the horror of the realisation.

Orion steps closer to Will. Orion is quite a large and strongly built man on the group, compared to Ellis, Joshua or Zane who are smaller and less broad. And despite the years of training Will has had at UNIT, Orion is still bigger than him by a mile off. Sweat pours down Orion's dark forehead, and his bloodshot eyes bore into Will's. Orion is not the sort of person you would want to witness his bad side. He is known to be strong enough to break someone's back easily, and he is also known to have a very short temper.

"You said that this weapon of theirs was your friend." Orion says, observing Will's reaction.

Will only returns him with a harsh scowl. "Yes. He was a close friend and my work partner at UNIT. Had a few mental health issues, but he was a good man."

"What mental issues did he suffer from?" Ellis asks.

Will looks at Ellis. "He was autistic but he didn't quite realise the schizophrenia or the BPD till a year into his UNIT career. It was something he was always afraid of and didn't understand."

"BPD?" Buddy asks.

Billie sighs. "Borderline Personality Disorder. It's a mental condition that effects the way someone may manage their emotions and thoughts."

"He never got any help for his health. Everyone just ignored it." Will says quietly.

"So the poor fella' has been locked away in a completely soundless cell since the late eighteenth century. That would torture anyone. Who would ever create that kind of sick torture?" Buddy hisses.

"Rodger Barratt, that's who." Will mumbles.

"Rodger Barratt was your Major at UNIT." Orion states, narrowing his eyes.

"_Was_, yes. But he was killed off by a shape shifter you have as your Major now. Well this shape shifter has become the exact embodiment of what Rodger Barratt used to be, it's hard not to think this is the real him." Will says and takes a defensive step back from Orion. He is aware of Morgarn protectively close behind him.

Billie leans heavily on the table and looks at Ellis. "What are we to do?" She asks.

For a moment Ellis looks lost for words. Instead he turns to look at Will. Will lets out a sigh before he passes Orion to join Ellis by the table.

"Well I'm going to be leading your revolution I guess I'd better start briefing you." Will looks around at his team. He is suddenly filled with confidence and slight arrogance. Usually at UNIT he is following orders, or being watched like a hawk when making his own, especially by his father, Aaron. For the first time he can lead a team into a revolution without Aaron breathing down his neck. He knows that Jack Gruntler is here on the Island, but Jack would not make a move to stop Will.

For a fleeting moment, Will thinks of April. This is the Island that has been haunting her for years. It would explain why she never slept when they were together. However the memory of his past with April leaves him with a mixture of emotions of hurt and anger. She chose to leave him. Even after he apologised for his past.

Will clenches his fists but then releases his grip when he brings his attention back to the room.

"Where shall we start?" Ellis asks.

"We're going to take over the arena." Will announces.

For a moment there is silence as everyone exchanges glances.

"That's the arena we passed through on the way to the party right?" Zane says.

Orion folds his arms. "What do you expect to find there? That place has only just been built."

"Exactly," Will says. "And it's the one place on this Island that is radiating the most alien signals." Will then smirks.

Morgarn watches Will as he suddenly stands a little taller and prouder, just like he used to always do. She has noticed that since he lost April, Will changed. He's become more angry at the world and introverted. He started to shut everyone out. He stopped turning up to work at the base as often as he was needed. He argued with Aaron often – always related to April or the battle in Antarctica – and stopped talking to his mother. Aaron started to become more protective of his son.

For them in the parallel world, it has been nearly three years since April left that parallel world. And Morgarn knew that all that time, Will was planning on making his way to this Island to fight in the Battle of the Cytracik. And that's why she volunteered for the Day of Destruction; just so Will didn't. Morgarn liaised with Jack Gruntler and they both knew that Will would volunteer. If he did, he would be the first target to be killed off.

"I believe that there are some new visitors located in that area," Will says. "It is our job to find them out and stop them before they try to kill you during the race."

Ellis sighs. "It's a done deal."


	13. XII - Regenerating

**XII  
Regenerating**

_The Island  
__The Black Lighthouse_

There is a horrible moment of silence in the Black Lighthouse.

April can feel Jason's grip on her tighten as they stare at the five Daleks before them. The Dalek standing closest to them is black whereas the other four are silver. The black Dalek reminds April of the Cytracik: the black glossy box in which one can just about see a disfigurement of their own reflection upon its surface.

"But this is impossible." Charles mutters in exasperation.

"We have located the Island," one of the silver Daleks states. "We are here. Where is the Ice Girl? The Ice Girl must be found. She must be exterminated!"

"Scan the area," the black Dalek orders. "We have arrived in time for the shape shifter's game in the woods. We will wipe out the entire Island to take the Cytracik."

"The Doctor has the Cytracik!"

April slowly wriggles out of Jason's grip. He holds onto her tighter, but she manages to free herself from him, building up every inch of courage she lacks to stand up to these metaltrons. For these five aliens have been tormenting her for too long.

April knows that she feared the Daleks while battling against them in the parallel world. She was more scared of them than she was to the Slitheen, the Cybermen, the weeping angels or the Nobody's. But now she knows that it has been the Daleks that lurked in a shadow behind her shoulder for as long as she can remember. It is these creatures that kill her every night in her dreams. And this is the setting of her nightmare. It is time to take control.

"The Doctor has the Cytracik. The Doctor will be exterminated!"

"The Doctor should have been exterminated along with his kind in the Time War."

"Enough!" April yells which completely silences the five Daleks, surprising herself in the meantime.

The Daleks turn to look at April with their eye stalks as she walks up to them, ignoring Jason as he tugs at her elbow.

"Now you listen to me carefully," April hisses through gritted teeth as she approaches the black Dalek, trying her best to look braver than she actually feels. "The Doctor is not in possession of the Cytracik. I am." She lies, wanting to get the attention away from the Doctor.

"And who are you?" The black Dalek asks.

For a moment April is a little taken aback at the notion of these Daleks not recognising her. Usually most of the aliens she has passed before know her by face. Clearly these Daleks have nothing to do with the Dalek King and his army from the parallel world. April wonders if she should go under her usual code name: Mrs Robinson, but thinks better of it.

"Why don't you see for yourself. I am the one that let you come through the void."

There is a pause as the black Dalek registers April. When it does the five Daleks suddenly jolt backwards as if in fear.

"You are the Ice Girl!" The black Dalek exclaims. "You must be exterminated!"

April suddenly howls with laughter. "I thought the only thing you fear is the Doctor! Well you can exterminate me all you want. But if you do, there's no way you'll ever get the Cytracik. Now that's what you're here for right? You're the next to hold the most power and open the Cytracik. But wouldn't you want to know how that came about? Wouldn't you want to know how Major Rodger Barratt and the other shape shifters created the Cytracik all those years ago?" April takes a step closer to the black Dalek. "If you want to know then keep my friends alive. That's all I'm asking of you. We are not creating an alliance here. But under no circumstance are you to exterminate my friends. Do I have your word on that?"

"The Daleks take no orders from insolent humans!"

"Kill my friends and you'll never get to the Cytracik." April's voice is firm and confident, making the Daleks remain silent for a moment. She stares down the eye piece to the black Dalek, hoping for it to falter. But it only stares back.

"Then you will be our prisoners." The Black Dalek announces before moving away from April and turning towards the other four Daleks.

April quietly lets out a sigh of relief. She was certain that the Daleks would exterminate at least herself, Jason or Charles. But she must have done something right to make them want to keep her alive. As the Daleks shout orders to one another, April turns back to look at Jason and raises her eyebrows. Jason however shrugs his shoulders. Charles stands by his side, looking petrified.

"We have come to the decision." the black Dalek announces as they all turn their attention back to their prisoners.

"And what's that?" Jason snaps, as April joins him again.

"We will keep only two of you alive, under the circumstance that you will hand over the Cytracik."

"No, we won't work with you like that." April hisses.

"The one with least use to us will come forward," One of the silver Daleks orders. "That is down to the two males."

"A Captain from UNIT and a member of Heat Miles. No one here is least important."

"Bring forward the unworthy child!" The Daleks orders.

April turns to Jason and Charles. "Don't listen to them." She mutters under her breath.

"Now! Come forward now!"

"What do you mean the least important?" Jason asks. "We are staying together or we all come forward."

"I've had enough of this." Charles snaps as he stands forward.

Jason grabs onto Charles' arm and pulls him backwards. "No, _don't_! Don't let them bully you. They are keeping us alive and we just have to go through with this."

"Don't tell me what to do, sir. I don't know who you think you are, pretending to be one of us when you are just a visitor from another world like the others. I am from this Island. My life revolves around Heat Miles and the work of our Major. It is my duty to stand up for what's right and to my profession. I will not let yourself or these pepper pot creatures give me orders. I serve only to Heat Miles."

Charles makes a move to go, but both April and Jason try to stop him.

"I'm warning you, they are not to be trusted!" April hisses. "I've come across these creatures before and they are not to be angered. If anything I should be the one to step forward."

Charles shakes his head. "The Ice Girl has to stop this herself," he then turns back to the Daleks and walks towards them. "I'll give you anything you want, but just hear me out. I am a found member of Heat Miles. I have spent my career based in this lighthouse so I am more value than you might like to admit. I know all about the Ice Girl. And I can in fact inform you that she is a liar, for she is not in possession of-"

Before Charles can say any more, the Daleks stop him.

"Your words are invaluable to us but your brain will be of use. You must kneel before us." The black Dalek declares.

Charles frowns in confusion. "I'm sorry but what for?"

"Questions are not needed. Kneel down before us."

Charles twitches his head as if about to look back at April and Jason but thinks better of it. Instead he adjusts his tie and the collar to his lab jacket before kneeling in front of the Daleks. He looks up at the Daleks as they start advancing on him.

"I will tell you anything you need. I can tell you all about the Beast if you want." Charles stutters over his words, getting more and more terrified the closer the Daleks get to him.

"Your words are invaluable to us," one of the silver Daleks repeats. "We are in need of a human brain with sufficient information about Heat Miles to awaken the twins. You will hold still."

April and Jason exchange confused looks, both thinking the same thing. The twins?

The Daleks continue to advance towards Charles on his knees. A long metal spike shoots out of one of the silver Daleks' body. At the end of the spike looks like some form of fork. The spike hovers just over the top of Charles' head. Charles whimpers and closes his eyes tight.

There is a brief pause before it happens.

The spike immediately shoots downwards and stabs Charles in his head.

Charles lets out a cry in pain, but soon his eyes roll backwards into its sockets as the spike drills into his scalp, tearing apart the skin and hammering through the skull. Blood spatters on the Daleks but immediately evaporates as soon as it hits their metal surface.

Not baring the gruesome sight, April buries her face in Jason's shoulder.

Seconds later, the spike is yanked out of Charles' head and his lifeless body falls forward with a thump. Residue seeps onto the flooring. April and Jason turn to look back at the Daleks, only to see Charles' withered brain attached to the end of the spike.

"Jesus Christ," Jason gasps before shouting, "Why did you have to do that?!"

"It is in our nature." One of the silver Daleks replies.

"Yes but you didn't need to kill an innocent man, no matter what you are!"

"There was no reason for his existence. He is useless alive. His brain is sufficient."

"For what?" Jason snaps.

"For the twins."

Jason turns to looks at April who is looking paler than usual. Jason also looks the same. There is a subtle, yet horrid smell in the air, coming from the open skull to Charles Stone. The Daleks are no longer paying attention to their prisoners as they start to carry Charles' brain across the laboratory.

"What are we going to do?" April whispers to Jason.

"We can't do anything. The doors are locked from the outside so the only way we can get out of here is for someone to open the doors from outside."

April frowns. "You haven't come here alone, have you?"

"No." Jason replies, sounding a little hesitant.

"Give me your phone."

Jason glances over to the Daleks who are now standing in a circle, talking to each other. He pulls out his mobile phone and passes it to April who quickly takes it and rifles through his contact list. He is not surprised when she starts to call Aaron Brimikawood's number.

April puts the phone to her ear and listens to the ringing. She looks over to the Daleks.

"Hoffman?" Aaron's voice is still as gruff and is used to be. The sound of his voice suddenly gives April goosebumps but she doesn't let the memories of her past in the parallel world distract her. Not now anyway.

"Speaker phone, now." April orders in a low voice before holding out the phone to catch the words of the Daleks.

Hoping that the Doctor, Rose, Terry or anyone else is around Aaron Brimikawood, and that he does have the sense to follow her orders and put them on speaker phone for everyone to listen, April suddenly feels nervous. Surely they all know that Jason went undercover to the Black Lighthouse.

"The twins will be awoken." One of the silver Daleks says.

"Once they have been awoken by this human brain." Another replies.

"This brain contains all information about Heat Miles and the Major," the Black Dalek replies. "We can find a way to destroy them."

"So Rodger Barratt is just as wanted as the Doctor is?" Jason says quietly.

"He is the reason why the Cytracik is a thing. If you can't befriend the creator to get your hands on the Cytracik, the only option is probably to kill it," April mutters, before turning to Jason. "What do they mean by the twins?"

"You and your brother?" Jason suggests, but they both think the same thing: that he is incorrect.

The Daleks move to stand directly under the remains of the Void. They stand in a circle and look directly up. April and Jason slowly edge further away from the Daleks as they observe them.

The silver Dalek carrying Charles' brain, raises the brain towards the Void. The Void slowly starts to waver and come alive again as the brain moves ever closer.

Only seconds pass before April and Jason and thrown off their feet completely. They are pushed backwards from such a great force from the act of having Charles' brain reaching the Void.

Smoke fills the air but April does not hesitate before she scrambles back onto her feet and pulls a coughing Jason up too.

The five Daleks still stand in a circle, only this time they are standing further apart than they were.

Charles' brain is no longer in sight but the Void continues to waver vigorously. Thick smoke surrounds them. Slowly a dark cloud starts to descend from the Void and hover in the middle of the Dalek circle.

April and Jason are suddenly aware of Aaron's voice shouting down the phone, ordering them to answer him. Jason quickly grabs his phone from April and hisses to Aaron that they are fine.

"Twins. Have you awoken?" The black Dalek calls at the dark swirling cloud.

April looks around the laboratory as the smoke slowly starts to fade away. But in an instant, she feel her heart leap into her throat as she sees it.

Somewhere amongst the smoke she sees a waver of stone. One second it is there and the next it is not. But the stone appears again, standing in the corner of the laboratory.

A weeping angel stands there, covering its face with its hands.

April stares at the angel as she reaches for Jason. He looks at her and frowns.

"What is it?" He asks.

April points to the weeping angel. "Look and it and don't blink."

Jason turns and looks at the weeping angel just as the black Dalek calls again. "A statue?"

"It's more than that," April replies with panic in her voice. "Just don't blink, okay. I'll keep an eye on the Daleks while you keep an eye on that angel."

"If you say so." Jason says, not quite understanding her panic.

"Fuck," April suddenly mutters to herself. "I thought we destroyed them."

Then there is a strange noise coming from the dark cloud. Almost like a saw running back and forwards through a large chunk of wood.

"The twins have awoken. The twins have awoken!" The silver Daleks chant.

Narrowing her eyes, April takes a step away from Jason and towards the Daleks. There is something moving in the cloud of smoke, April can just about see hints of gold and silver here and there, but she cannot quite see what it might be. She just hopes that Jason is still staring at the weeping angel.

"We are awake," a duo of Dalek voices says in unison, but the voice did not come from any of the Daleks in the laboratory. "Let us see the Ice Girl."

The black Dalek suddenly turns its head and looks directly at April. "Our King always said that the Doctor will always be a good Dalek."

"Oh here we go." Jason mutters under his breath.

"But what if the Doctor will be exterminated by his enemy? His enemy which used to be his friends."

"What do you mean?" April snaps.

"The twins are the prophecy of this Island. They are the descendants of the one who had the power to open the Cytracik for the first time. Now it is us. We, as the Dalek race, under strict orders from our King, have created a Dalek version of the twins. A Dalek of the Ice Girl and the Lost Brother. And this Dalek will exterminate the Doctor."

April clenches her fists. "Don't move, Jay."

"I have no intention to." Jason replies sternly.

Soon enough, this Dalek emerges from the black cloud. And it is in no ways similar to the other five Daleks in the laboratory with them. The body is gold. But this Dalek is taller, wider and larger. It has two sets of guns and horrifically, two heads.

It is one whole body with two heads. Two Daleks in one.

The twin Daleks has been born.

April's knees nearly buckle underneath her own weight, but she manages to keep herself on her feet. This is a nightmare. Seeing a Dalek replica of herself and Max does not makes April feel brave, but she is not going to let her fear control her. Not now. Not when she has to get herself and Jason out of the Black Lighthouse alive.

The twin Daleks ignore the others and immediately start to advance on April. The two heads speak one after the other.

"The Ice Girl is here alone."

"But she is without the Lost Brother."

"They have been separated."

"They must be exterminated together."

The twin Daleks continue to advance on April and she walks backwards. Her breathing becomes more and more rapid in fear as this huge Dalek with two heads, supposedly a version of herself, comes closer and closer to her threateningly.

April finds herself completely backed up against the wall of the laboratory.

"Where is the Lost Brother? Why is he not with you?"

"I don't know!" April shouts at the twin Daleks, and then pauses as it stops right in front of her, barricading her against the wall with its guns. "I suppose even if I knew I wouldn't be stupid enough to tell you."

"Where would he be?"

"The Island isn't exactly a large area. I'm sure you can find out for yourself."

"Major Rodger Barratt's mansion. You left him there. I can read the Ice Girl's mind." The Dalek head on the right side of the body says.

The Dalek head of the left responds. "The twins must never be separated."

"We have been hidden as a shadow behind you for long enough. Why have you misplaced the Lost Brother?"

"I have not misplaced him," April growls, but then glances over to the weeping angel which is still covering its face. "But you are not alone here in this Lighthouse."

"Explain yourself." One of the silver Daleks orders.

"I may have been the reason why you have entered through that Void, but you are not the only visitors here. I believe your old enemy, the Cybermen, have made an appearance. Along with the Slitheen. They're all after the Cytracik. They might get to it before you do."

"We will be the ones to open the Cytracik. It is our turn!" Another silver Dalek yells.

"Yes, but can you get through the Doctor first?" April queries.

The twin Daleks suddenly jolt away from April.

"Gotcha," April smirks. "The Cybermen, the Slitheen and hundreds of other species from right across the universe are coming here to this very Island to get their go at the Cytracik. And then you have one Doctor."

"And don't forget you have the whole of UNIT here to fight." Jason calls over his shoulder, still looking at the weeping angel.

"What is UNIT?" The black Dalek demands.

"United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. The most powerful company in the universe." April replies with a small smile playing on her lips.

The twin Daleks turns back to April. "The female heartbeat increases."

"I bet it does." Jason laughs.

Suddenly there is a loud bang and the whole lighthouse starts to shake.

"What is happening?" The twin Daleks shout. "Report now!"

"There is something trying to get into the Black Lighthouse. Something alien." One of the Daleks replies.

April scrambles over to Jason and holds him close to her.

"We're screwed for, aren't we?" Jason says as he looks at her.

"Even more screwed now you've lost contact with that statue." April hisses.

Jason looks over to the corner of the laboratory and sees that the weeping angel is in fact no longer stood there. It has completely vanished. "Bugger." Jason mutters under his breath.

"We have intruders coming here!" One of the silver Daleks cries as it turns to April and Jason. "You have summoned something here."

"We haven't done anything!" April snaps, but is quickly thrown off her feet as the lighthouse shudders once again.

"We are being hunted. They will be exterminated!" The Daleks shout.

That is when one of the Daleks notices the weeping angel, standing in the middle of the laboratory. It stands there, looking blankly ahead as it points to Jason and April.

"What is this?" A silver Dalek shouts. "It was not there before."

"Exterminate it now!" The black Dalek orders, but before anything can be done, the lighthouse shakes again and they are all thrown backwards.

Jason and April help each back up and notice that the weeping angel has moved closer to them. It still points its stone finger at them.

Jason looks down at April. "You know I think we might actually die here." He says, almost as if just realising.

"Wonderful. I'm going to be exterminated by a version of myself." April mutters.

There is a slight rumble in the laboratory as the Daleks shout at one another.

"But we'll get through this together right?" Jason says as he places a warm hand on the back of April neck.

"Together." April replies weakly.

Jason smiles before they close their eyes and rest their foreheads against each other. The Daleks try to control the shaking of the lighthouse. April and Jason await the moment for when either the weeping angel gets to them or the Daleks choose to kill them.

But these thoughts are interrupted when the sound of the Tardis moving comes nearer and nearer to them.


	14. XIII - An unexpected reunion

**XIII  
An unexpected reunion**

_The Island  
__The Black Lighthouse_

The Tardis slowly starts to materialise around April and Jason. This only rises panic amongst the Daleks.

"The Doctor is here! The Doctor is here!"

"Exterminate him! EXTERMINATE THE DOCTOR!"

The Daleks start to shoot at the Tardis as it materialises around their prisoners, but there is some sort of invisible barrier, protecting the ship from their blasts.

April and Jason pull apart from each other and see the interior of the Tardis slowly coming into view. The Doctor, still looking a little like a ghost, stands beside the console, staring angrily at the weeping angel just behind April and Jason. Aaron Brimikawood stands just over the Doctor's shoulder, holding a large gun and aiming it in their direction.

Soon enough the laboratory and the Daleks completely disappear and Jason and April find themselves fully inside the Tardis. The whole ship has completely materialised.

"You two, get down!" The Doctor shouts, his voice raised like it never has done before.

Both feeling a little struck with panic and with everything that has just happened, April and Jason freeze, looking from each other to the weeping angel behind them, baring its stone, fanged teeth, hands reaching out towards them.

Jason then finds Captain Ireen Summerland standing in the corner of the console room along with Alic, Sarah-Jane, Rose, Martha, Rex, Max and Terry. Ireen looks at him expectantly. Remembering the conversations they had together these past few years, he knows what she is thinking.

"Get down NOW!" The Doctor yells.

Jason grabs hold of April and pulls her down to the ground. They both bow their heads, holding onto each other tightly as Aaron shoots at the weeping angel.

There is a loud crash as the angel breaks into smithereens, leaving a pile of dust on the metal flooring.

There is a moment of silence between everyone in the Tardis. All that can be heard is a hissing sound from the remains of the weeping angel.

Then the Tardis console rumbles.

April and Jason look up to where the weeping angel was once stood. Lying by the pile of dust is a quarter of the angel's face. It's blank stone eye stares directly at them.

Aaron silently walks across the console room with a slight limp. He passes Jason and April without even a glance in their direction before bending over and picking up the stone remains of the angel. He examines the pieces.

Jason taps on April's arm and they stand up. Jason then goes straight over to Alic who shakes his hand.

"Good to see you again mate." Alic smiles.

The Doctor walks over to April and hugs her tightly which comes as a surprise to her.

"Are you okay?" The Doctor says in her ear as the others talk amongst one another.

"I'm fine." April replies.

The Doctor pulls away and holds April's arms down by her sides as he studies her face. April, however, only gives him her usual scowl.

"I thought they were all destroyed," Rose says as she runs the toe-end of her trainer delicately through the pile of dust. "I thought you and Max destroyed the weeping angels back in Manchester."

"Yes but unfortunately that was 1775. This is an entirely different universe." Terry says dully.

"This Island," Max says. "Would you say it's another parallel world?"

"A parallel world inside April's mind, yes."

There is a moment of silence as everyone looks in April's direction. Terry's words seems to have struck everyone's attention. Sensing April's embarrassment, the Doctor jumps to the console.

"Well it is no good standing around here. It's a new day and since the arrival of the Cybermen and the Slitheen, the security around this Island is only going to get stricter." The Doctor says.

"We need to find the volunteers first," Sarah-Jane says. "Find out their plans. I hear that they are creating some sort of revolution."

The Doctor hesitates and glances to April. "What did you find in the Black Lighthouse?"

"A laboratory." April replies quietly, noticing the way in which Aaron refuses to meet her eye. Alic, Sarah-Jane, Martha, Rex and Ireen look at her sympathetically, but Aaron seems to be acting as if she isn't even there. There is even a slight hint of a cold shoulder between the Doctor and Aaron, but April can only guess that the Doctor is angry about the whole passing-between-different-parallel-worlds scenario.

April strongly believed that she would never see UNIT again. That was what the Doctor told her when she was taken away from that parallel world. But now she is standing here in the Tardis with the main officers she knew and loved, she does not feel the friendly welcome she expects. Surely a reunion amongst friends is supposed to be warm and happy? Maybe it's this battle. Maybe it is because of the Cytracik that everyone is more concerned about destroying it. But that does not explain why Ireen is staring at her sympathetically, looking like she wants to say something but won't. And it also doesn't explain why Aaron is making it very evident that he doesn't want to acknowledge her at all.

April takes a glance around the console room in hope. But she is only met with disappointment. Self consciously, she folds her arms and looks down at her shoes. It feels as if her heart has sunk into the pit of her stomach. All she wants is her friends back. And they are not really there.

Will Sullivan is not there with them. Everyone left over from UNIT is there but Will. April knows she has completely lost him.

The Doctor sharply turns to look at Aaron Brimikawood.

"How did you do it?" He snaps. "How did you get here from your world?"

Aaron sighs. "You might as well be asking every species that turns up here for the Cytracik. You knew that this would happen, Doctor. Jack Gruntler always told you that the day this battle is over is the day the whole universe comes together."

Both the Doctor and Aaron step a little closer to one another as they shout. Soon enough they are standing threateningly close to each other.

"Every time you jump from one universe to another it rips a hole in existence!" The Doctor snaps.

"Not everything goes your way, Doctor." Aaron replies indifferently.

April wants to run over to them and pull them apart, stopping them from arguing. There have been many times before in the parallel world where she watched the Doctor and Aaron arguing. Usually she would just roll her eyes, but this time it seems far more serious.

Everything seems to be falling apart.

It is Ireen, however, who pulls them apart. "We can argue about this once this battle is over, boys. I'm sure that we can deal with those consequences later. Right now we have bigger problems on our hands. Surely we can leave the past where it is and move on," she looks to Aaron as she says this. "For now we need to focus on our task at hand: you know, why we came here. So why did we come here, Brigadier?"

"To destroy the Cytracik." Aaron replies with slight hesitation.

Ireen lowers her voice so that only Aaron can hear. "And to make your son happy again."

The Doctor, who has been scowling at Ireen as she says this, glances over to Aaron. He opens his mouth to say something but thinks better of it.

"What came out of the Void?" Martha asks, turning everyone's attention back to April and Jason who both still look rather pale.

April catches Aaron's eye but he looks away immediately.

"The Daleks," Jason says after a little pause of silence. "Five of them came out of the Void. They um...they have created another form of Dalek to help er...get to you, Doctor."

"Oh brilliant." Aaron mumbles moodily as he folds his arms across his chest.

"Okay, so another thing added to my long list of aliens that want to kill me." The Doctor says.

"So what have we got here on the Island already?" Sarah-Jane says before she starts counting on her fingers. "The Cybermen, Slitheen, the Daleks. We bumped into the Sontarans the day we arrived here. And there might be a possibility of weeping angels. So far that is five alien species on this Island if we exclude the shape shifters."

"There's another form of Dalek they have created," April quickly says before anyone else can jump in, but she suddenly finds herself hesitating as everyone looks at her. "Because those Daleks that came from through the Void are the next to open the Cytracik, they are also what have been killing me in my nightmare. I only saw it as a shadow. But it all links back to this stupid prophecy," April turns to Max. "They've created a Dalek version of us."

Max looks utterly dumbfounded. "I don't even know what a Dalek is."

"It's what killed your parents, Maxwell. They're mutants hidden in a metal shell. They're born to kill." The Doctor says carefully.

"Fantastic. So there is a Maxwell Hollerford version of a killing machine," Max suddenly laughs which surprises everyone. "I hope they've got my hair colour correct. Don't forget my pale complexion."

"It's a twin Dalek," April says as she looks over to Rose, standing next to Ireen. "It's one whole body with two heads and two sets of weapons. They both apparently are meant to imitate Max and I. They said how ironic it would be for the Doctor to be murdered by his friends."

The Doctor turns back to the console and switches on the screen. Immediately everyone gathers around the Doctor to take a look at the view outside the Tardis. Everyone does this but April and Max.

They take a look at the five Daleks talking amongst each other, just outside the Tardis doors. They cannot hear the Dalek voices but the light bulbs on top of their domes flash to show that they are speaking. Soon the twin Daleks comes into view. Sarah-Jane gasps and quickly covers her mouth in horror.

"The twins as a Dalek," Aaron mutters. "Who would have thought?"

"Is that the Beast Heat Miles keeps talking about?" Martha asks.

"No," the Doctor says weakly. "The Beast is someone you used to know, I believe."

Max turns to April and gently touches her arm. "Are you okay?"

April manages to nod in response.

"Hold on!" Rose exclaims but stops as soon as she says it. Right before their eyes, the five Daleks and the twin Daleks suddenly evaporates into little particles until they completely vanish.

The Doctor pushes away from the console and rushes to the door. Rose and Aaron follow. The Doctor swings open the Tardis doors and looks out into the laboratory. The Daleks have definitely disappeared.

"Crap!" The Doctor hisses as he slams the Tardis doors shut. "We have to go after them!"

"Calm down first, Doctor," Rose warns. "Those Daleks probably don't know what they are up against out there. And surely they know about the Day of Destruction?" Rose glances over to April who is still standing with her brother.

April nods and clears her throat. "They briefly mentioned it." She mumbles.

"Okay, Daleks are stubborn but I don't think they would make much of an entrance. They will show up during the Day of Destruction when the rest of the universe has turned up for the same thing. If it is said that the Daleks are the next to open the Cytracik then I don't think that they would ruin their chances and start the battle before it is even due to start."

Martha nods. "Rose has a point. I strongly think that we need to see the volunteers and see what plans they have. If they are trying to create a revolution then we should find out more."

"What revolution is this?" Sarah-Jane asks.

"It's a revolution against Heat Miles. It's a way to bring them down and destroy the shape shifters. Something that should have been done a long time ago," The Doctor replies as he climbs over the mental railings and follows the stairs going under the console. "But it's fine, I am still in possession of the Cytracik so no Dalek can get to it."

The Doctor climbs over wires and cables, and makes his way towards the core of the Tardis, right beneath the console. He can hear everyone else muttering to each other above him, but he focuses his attention on the silver cabinet sitting amongst the wires. This is a cabinet safe that Jack Gruntler gave the Doctor a while ago and says that it will be only opened when in need. It is where the Doctor agreed to store the Cytracik for safe keepings.

But the door to the safe is wide open and hanging off its hinges.

And the Cytracik is no longer there.

"Come on, Doctor," Aaron calls from upstairs. "We should better get a move on."

The Doctor can feel his heart hammering away inside his chest. The Cytracik is no longer there with him. Someone, or some_thing_ has managed to take it away from him and the thought makes the Doctor feel sick to the stomach. The Daleks can't have taken the Cytracik already, could they? Because if they have then the battle has already been lost. He hopes to God that Jack Gruntler has it.

"Doctor?" Rose calls.

The Doctor scratches the back of his head as he joins the others up by the console. He does his best to not look at anyone as he stands by the console and twiddles with one of the dials. There is a horrible silence as everyone looks at the Doctor.

The Aaron sighs. "You no longer have the Cytracik, do you?"

The Doctor shakes his head. "Nope."

"Fuck." Aaron gasps.

Without further ado, the Doctor pulls a leaver and the Tardis starts to move. They move away from the Black Lighthouse and travel across the Island, heading towards the house Jack Gruntler is currently staying in.

The further they move away from the Black Lighthouse, the more painful April's headache becomes. April squeezes the bridge of her nose and shuts her eyes tightly, wishing the headache to go away. It's probably down to the fact that they are in a parallel world in her own head that is causing the headache.

The Tardis lands with a rough thud and everyone is nearly knocked off their feet.

The Doctor leaves the Tardis first. When April opens her eyes, she sees Aaron with a stern look on his face, passing her, bobbing ever so slightly with a limp as he walks by, brushing her shoulders slightly. He does not even glance at her. It is as if she isn't even there with him.

Aaron will not acknowledge her existence and this is what hurts the most, because it is clear that Aaron does not like her. April dreads to think that Will hates her too, especially if he is on this Island. It would kill April to know that she has hurt him this much for Wil's father to hate her too. She pulls at her white hoodie sleeves, the thought of having Will not like her is too much to think about.

That is when she catches Ireen's eye. Ireen has been standing there in the Tardis with April, watching her reactions to Aaron not even acknowledging her. And the look of sympathy is evident across her face. Ireen gives April's arm a squeeze before following everyone else out of the Tardis.

Sighing loudly, April undoes the zip of her hoodie and pulls it off. She hangs it over one of the treelike pillars and heads for the doors. But then she stops mid-step.

White trainers, black skinny jeans and a bright red t-shirt.

Unknowingly, April has dressed in the exact same outfit as as always saw herself wearing in her nightmare.


	15. XIV - The Battle of the Cytracik

**XIV  
The Battle of the Cytracik**

_Planet Earth  
__London  
__Eight years ago_

Suzette Hollerford's hands shook as she poured the boiling hot water from the kettle into four different mugs: one for herself, one her husband and one each for her two children. She watched the way the water filled up the mugs and the way the tea bags started to bob on the water's surface. But her hands shook so much, she ended spilling half the boiling water over the counter top.

A pair of large, warm hands suddenly rested against Suzette's shoulders and made her jump in fright. Suzette let out a yelp but quickly covered her mouth when Declan started shushing in her ear.

"It's their birthday," Declan whispered. "Please just come back into the living room to be with them."

"But it's not safe here." Suzzette hissed, trying her best not to raise her voice. The living room was only next to the kitchen and the walls in their house were thin.

"Please, darling. They're starting to wonder why you're not with them," Declan sighed heavily. "You only have a thirteenth birthday once in your lifetime and I'm trying my best to make it the best day for them."

"What? By spending all our money on an overpriced telescope for April?" Suzette's voice was bitter.

Declan groaned as Suzette turned around to look at her husband.

Declan then hissed through gritted teeth. "Just go into the living room and give your children some attention."

"_Our_ children, Declan." Suzette suddenly stopped when she saw both Max and April walk into the kitchen, looking up at their parents with scared curiosity.

Despite being twins, Maxwell was nearly a whole head taller than April. His thick black hair was unkempt and in good need of a cut. April looked up at her parents through her lashes, a small scowl forming on her brow. Her hair fell down her back, just brushing her hips.

Suzette took in a deep breath before forcing a smile, something she knew both her children knew she did not mean. They were both exceedingly intelligent children for their age and who stuck with each other like glue. They never fell out or argued, but it sometimes felt like they knew more about their parents than they knew.

This was a factor that terrified Suzette because Declan was dedicated to his job as Commander at UNIT and refused to disclose any information to his own family. Suzette only got the gist of things but nothing more. Instead Declan continued to hide away in his 'office' trying to make weapons and instruments that would never succeed.

When the Cytracik was first created in October, the fear Suzette constantly felt only increased. They met a strange man under the name of the Doctor who was also a close ally to UNIT, and Suzette met Jack Gruntler for the first time. She felt like she could trust Jack Gruntler a little more than the Doctor, but Declan was the opposite. He trusted the Doctor more but never explained why. Declan had informed Suzette of Jack Gruntler on numerous occasions but never met him. Until then.

That was when Jack Gruntler said that as soon as Declan's father, Joseph Hollerford, retired from his position as General of UNIT, he would go into hiding with Jack. This was an easy thing to do because Max and April were already unaware they even had a grandfather alive.

Six months passed and everyone was preparing for battle. News spread fast about the Daleks teaming up with the shape shifters to try and open this Cytracik which seemed more like Pandora's box. The plan was to take the Cytracik and destroy it before it can be opened.

But Suzette knew that Declan was on this list of people the Dalek's and these shape shifters wanted to kill. So every sound and every knock on the door made Suzette jump – terrified that something would show up to kill Declan.

Taking in a deep shaky breath, she moved away from Declan.

"Right, who wants cake?" Suzette said, trying her best of keep her voice as cheerful as she can. She passed Declan, ignoring his look as she directs April and Max back into the living room where the carpet is covered with ripped up wrapping paper and tissue paper.

However half an hour past by and soon it hit noon, Declan's phone started to ring. Both April and Max pretended they didn't see the glance exchanged between their parents as they ate their birthday cake. They knew that something was wrong – their parents weren't the best at hiding their emotions. But Max and April knew better than to question it.

Declan put his phone to his ear and and went back into the kitchen, closing the door behind him.

"What is it?" Declan asked in a low voice, not wanting to be heard.

"It has started," Jack Grunter's voice rang in Declan's ear. "I strongly advise you to stay in your home with your family."

Declan, with his eyes closed, tried to control his breathing as he listened to Jack Gruntler's words. "What about UNIT and the Doctor?"

"UNIT are planning on an ambush within the next hour. Please just stay there and I'll update you regularly. It is specific orders, not only from myself and the Doctor, but also from your father. You can't say no to a General, can you, Declan?"

"But my children..." Declan's voice wobbled ever so slightly.

"The Doctor has put a protection spell over your house, so nothing can get to them."

When Declan hung up, he squeezed the bridge of his nose. So the Battle of the Cytracik has coincidentally started right on Max's and April's birthday. But it is something he knows that he cannot run from. UNIT will need him and so would the Doctor. Jack advised him to stay inside, but he has to be a part of this battle.

Declan turned and pulled his coat off the stair banister before slipping his arms through the arm holes.

"Dad, are you leaving?" Max asked, catching his father as Declan zipped up his coat.

"Just for about an hour, Max," Declan replied before looking over to Suzette who looked white as a sheet. "Jack phoned. He said that Aaron is in need of assistance. Time heals," he then looked at his children and smiled weakly. "I'll be back as soon as possible. There's something for the both of you I need to pick up."

"Wait," Suzette said, her voice higher than expected. "Let me just quickly get my jacket."

"Don't you dare!" Declan hissed as she passed him but Suzette only gave him a scowl. A stern and stubborn look that informed him that she did not want to be told what to do.

When her jacket was on, Suzette held both her children close to her. Her embrace was almost suffocating but both April and Max knew that there was something of fear in the embrace. Suzette has never hugged them like this unless she was scared. And she was evidently scared.

April looked over to her dad who was constantly looking anxiously out the window as if waiting for something. Yet as soon as he caught her eye, Declan's face relaxed.

"My April." He whispered before holding her close to him, kissing her on top of her soft hair.

"How long are you going to be?" April asked as she pulled away.

Declan, holding her by the back of her neck forced another fake smile. "Not long, but we promise we'll be back," he then glanced over to Max. "You two look after each other. _Always_."

Once the front door was closed behind them, Declan and Suzette took one look at each other. No matter what was going to happen, Max and April were going to be safe. That was the deal. The moment the Cytracik was discovered back in October, the Doctor and UNIT promised that no matter what, Max and April would be safe and unhurt from this battle.

By 13:23 hours, the ambush on the Daleks and the shape shifters commenced. However things were not as what was expected. The fight occurred around the streets of London, and yet everything was hidden from the citizens of London. It was as if they were all invisible to the world.

As far as everyone knew, the shape shifters and the Daleks were working together to open the Cytracik. Yet as the ambush happened, UNIT found themselves being caught in a middle of a fight between the Daleks and the shape shifters. As it seemed, the greed for power seemed to have overcome both species, causing a divide between the Daleks and the shape shifters. This did not impact the battle for UNIT seeing as the enemies seemed to be killing each other off themselves.

UNIT were strong in the battle, but not strong enough so it seemed. Many soldiers were dropping like flies in this war. And yet the Cytracik itself seemed to be nowhere in sight.

Declan and Suzette turned up to the battle not long after it had started. They hid behind a broken brick wall, trying to decipher the best way to join the fight. Seeing their friends in UNIT being murdered by the Daleks and the shape shifters was difficult to witness, but Declan knew that it was now or never. He had to fight for them.

The shape shifter army only seemed to grow and grow. Shape shifters appeared left, right and centre. They marched right into the middle of the battle in large groups, almost seeming indestructible.

Back in Jack Gruntler's residence up in Scotland, Jack was keeping both the Doctor and Joseph Hollerford under house arrest, with a mixture of wanting to keep them safe from the battle, and also to stop them from doing anything silly. Along with Declan, Joseph and the Doctor were on the list of threats to the Cytracik and therefore they would be killed as soon as they showed their faces.

However this only angered the Doctor. He was being kept under house arrest while his friends were out there sacrificing themselves to stop this ridiculous battle for power. The Doctor spent the whole time pacing around the house in agitation, running his fingers through his hair and muttering to himself.

However, Jack Gruntler, the man who knew all, was not willing to inform the Doctor what was to happen. He was fully aware that the Cytracik was going to be opened by Declan Hollerford, sending all Daleks and shape shifters away. But what was to happen after that would be down to what was inside the Cytracik. And that was the only thing Jack did not know – although he wouldn't dare to admit it. He only tried to calm the Doctor down saying that Rose and Terry were safe at Rose's mother's flat under the same protection spell as the Hollerford twins.

Declan and Suzette eventually joined in the fight. Colonel Brimikawood was highly unimpressed but did not falter before quickly giving both Declan and Suzette weapons.

The fight continued on through to the night and there were less and less UNIT soldiers standing. Captain Ireen Summerland, Martha Jones, Sarah-Jane Smith, Colonel Aaron Brimikawood, Second Lieutenant Will Sullivan, Rex Middleton, Captain Jason Hoffman, Harry Summerland and Officer-Cadet Alic Grange were the last standing. And it was clear that they were losing the battle.

But somehow everything happened at once.

Jack was now aware that they are losing the Battle of the Cytracik and this only angered the Doctor even further.

"Keep Martha and Sarah-Jane alive. That is all I ask of you." The Doctor begged.

And eventually Jack gave in. The idea was the last thing he ever wanted to do, but it would keep the Doctor satisfied. Martha and Sarah-Jane, whom he used to travel with, will be transported to another parallel world in which they will be safe. They will have no recollection of the Battle of the Cytracik, nor of their transportation. All they would know is of their travels with the Doctor and their life's history on the parallel world.

However once this was done, the Doctor's shoulders did not relax. He has done everything he can. Sworn that the Hollerford family would forever be safe, sent Rose Tyler and Terry back to Rose's mum's home for safety, and sent Martha and Sarah-Jane to a parallel world. But it was not enough. It was not enough because he was not there with them in the battle. He should have been there fighting with his friends.

"I'm not stopping you from going back to London," Jack said wisely when the Doctor made up his mind. "And I won't tell you I told you so. But you know that it is not going to be a pretty end, Doctor. None of us are safe until that Cytracik is destroyed."

A minute later and the Doctor was back in his Tardis, taking it away from Scotland and back to London, right in the centre of where the battle was happening.

But when he got there, he was only met with dead bodies of UNIT soldiers lying on the gravel streets and pieces of Dalek strewn across the roads. There seemed to be no trace of the shape shifters.

The last survivors of UNIT were in a line on their knees with their hands behind their head. A Dalek was stood in front of each of them.

"UNIT has failed," the large red Dalek said. "And we have won. We have the power for the Cytracik. Any last words before you are exterminated, Colonel Brimikawood?"

Colonel Brimikawood lifted his head and looked at the red Dalek straight in the eye. "Time Heals."

Without further ado, the Daleks simultaneously exterminated UNIT.

"NO!" The Doctor yelled but it was too late, for his friends all collapsed to the ground. Dead. The Doctor fell to his knees, looking helplessly at the bloody mess only a few feet in front of him.

Only a couple of streets away was the Cytracik. The black box lying on the road on its own.

Declan was leaning heavily against the brick wall, trying to catch his breath. He squeezed his eyes shut as he weakly called out his wife's name, hoping that she was around there with him. But he only received the howl of the wind as an answer.

It was late in the evening. Declan and Suzette promised Max and April that they would only be gone an hour.

Declan spat to the ground but suddenly noticed the reflection from the shiny black box in the middle of the road.

For a long moment Declan remained where he was as he stared at this box on the ground. But seconds later he felt the calling for it. Something inside him was drawing him closer and closer towards this black box. Declan should know better about finding strange objects in the middle of the street. He should also know better about answering to calls from strange objects. But there was something about this black shiny box that was pulling him towards it.

Declan moved away from the wall and stood directly by the black box, looking down at it, just being able to see his fuzzy reflection in the shiny surface.

"Touch the Cytracik and you will be exterminated!"

In fright, Declan turned around, only to find about a dozen Daleks and shape shifters approaching him menacingly. But his heart leapt in his throat when he noticed Suzette being pushed forward by one of the Daleks, her face full of fear and anxiety.

"No." Declan said although his voice was never heard.

"You are to step away from the Cytracik or you will be exterminated." The large red Dalek ordered.

"You're going to exterminate me anyway." Declan snarled.

"You have been warned. We will exterminate your wife first."

Declan hesitated as he looked at Suzette. She looked at him and took in a deep, steady breath.

"Remember that time heals, sweetheart." Suzette whispered, her voice sending chills down Declan's spine.

Declan turned his attention back to the Cytracik, looking down at his blurred reflection on top of the shiny surface. There was still something about this small black box that felt like it was calling for him. So without further ado, Declan bent over and picked up the Cytracik, feeling it buzz to life in the palm of his hands.

However this outraged the Daleks.

"We will exterminate your wife! Give us the Cytracik now!" The red Dalek demanded.

"Declan..." Suzette warned, but then stopped when the saw it.

A thin crack started to appear around the side of the Cytracik, allowing a bright white light to protrude from it. The crack slowly got bigger and bigger as it opened for Declan. The Daleks and the shape shifters only stood there, watching the Cytracik open in front of them.

Seconds past and soon enough the lid of the Cytracik fell open and its strong force pushed Declan backwards. He fell back to the ground and dropped the Cytracik. It landed with a clatter on the road as the bright white light shone up into the sky. There was a strong gust of wind blowing around them and mist started to form in the light.

Soon enough images started to appear in the mist.

At first there was a beach and a black lighthouse at the end. The lighthouse flashed just as soon as April Hollerford appeared in the image like a ghost. The image of her was not of the thirteen year old, but of an older version of her. Soon April's screams suddenly echoed around them as a black shadow loomed out of the lighthouse towards her.

The beach and April evaporated and soon the image of the beach turned into some dirty streets. Maxwell was there just as he started to cough up blood, slowing being killed by tuberculosis. A deep, unrecognisable voice rang out stating that all will meet to fight for the Cytracik when the Black Lighthouse flashes five times. Then the Ice Girl and the Lost Brother will be killed.

"No!" Declan cried suddenly understanding everything. He had the power to open the Cytracik. The power the Daleks and the shape shifters desired so much. But this power has just given him the fate of his children and their torture for the future. Declan turned to look at his wife who had tears streaming down his face.

Then everything happened all at once. The red Dalek exterminated Suzette. She looked at Declan one last time before she fell to the ground, dead.

Declan cried out, going to run to his wife but the red Dalek shot at Declan, only hitting him in the shoulder. The moment he fell down, feeling the excruciating pain in his shoulder, the Cytracik closed immediately.

"That is enough!" The Doctor yelled as he rushed to Declan's side, silently wondering to himself why he did not die instantly from the Daleks' shot. Probably because he was the one to have opened the Cytracik in the first place. The Doctor pulled Declan up in sitting position and held onto him tightly, feeling him shake in his arms. He then looked over to the Daleks, trembling with rage. "That is _enough_!" He spat. "This battle is over!"

"The Battle of the Cytracik is not over. It has just begun. We must hunt for the Hollerford twins!" The red Dalek argued.

"Well there is no way you are going to find them now." The Doctor snarled, aware of Declan's laboured breathing. He dared not look at Suzette's limp body by the Daleks.

"The Cytracik has spoken for itself," one of the other Daleks stated. "We will meet again in battle when that lighthouse flashes."

Then all Daleks and shape shifters suddenly disappeared from view, leaving the Doctor alone with Declan and Suzette on the dark, quiet London street. The Doctor looked down at Declan as he felt his hand squeeze on his elbow. His life slowly being drained out of his body.

"Look after them, Doctor," Declan said weakly. "Please. Find my children and keep them safe from this battle."

"I don't think I can." The Doctor chocked.

"Please...promise me," Declan begged. "Don't let the Cytracik win. Do whatever you can to save my children." With that Declan's eyes glazed over as he released his final breath. For a long moment, the Doctor stared down at Declan's lifeless body in his arms before gently closing down his eyelids. And then no longer being able to control himself, the Doctor suddenly wailed, letting out echoing cries as he held Declan's body close to him. Having had lost all of his friends in one day, the Doctor was losing all hope.

About an hour after the Doctor left and the dead bodies were picked up from the street, Major Rodger Barratt stood in the centre of the road looking ahead with a smirk on his face. He chuckled under his breath as he bent over and picked up the Cytracik.

In the moments this happened, Max was transported to Manchester, leaving April without a memory. Two offices knocked on the house in the corner of the cul-de-sac announcing to April the death of her parents. The shape shifter having taken the form of Bruce Fey was allowed legally to look after April until she became an adult, with the one wish to kill her.

Then the search to find that beach with the lighthouse and to hunt down the twins began. Soon news spread across the whole universe and everyone knew about the Cytracik. And soon enough everyone had heard about the Ice Girl and the Lost Brother.


	16. XV - Briefing

**XV  
Briefing**

_The Island  
__Outside Jack Gruntler's residence_

Aaron sits on the stone wall outside of Jack Gruntler's house while everyone else stays inside, drinking tea, discussing on what are they to do in the lead up to the Day of Destruction, and arguing with each other about having lost the Cytracik to the shape shifters. Jack said that because they are the creators of the Cytracik, they have the ability to get it back whenever they want. Therefore Major Rodger Barratt is currently in possession of the Cytracik. But that does not necessarily mean that they have the power to ultimately control it.

Aaron notices the stir in April's face every time Rodger Barratt is mentioned. He can see the way her jaw tightens and anger flickering in her eyes. She must hate Rodger Barratt as much as he does.

Aaron is still mad at April. After Will ran away to this Island first, only leaving him a note at home saying that he is taking part in the revolution, Aaron and the rest of UNIT had no choice but to follow him.

The moment the Doctor, Rose, Terry and April left the parallel world, UNIT instantly started working together in preparation for the Battle of the Cytracik. But when Will ran away, they had to follow him and come to the Island earlier than they planned.

Aaron wants this battle to end, just as much as everyone else does, and he wants April to be rid of her nightmare once and for all. But he cannot forgive her for what she said to his son. Will is hurting from her still two years on, and it pains him to see his son so sad and full of anger.

Aaron quickly walked out of Jack Gruntler's house soon after they arrived from the Black Lighthouse, finding the tense atmosphere inside too much to bear. Now sitting on the wall, he lights a cigarette and looks at the neighbourhood and the grey misty fog that hangs in the air.

There certainly seems to be a change on the Island since last night. The streets seem quieter and the music from the festival can no longer be heard.

Aaron feels a drop of rain land on his nose the moment the Doctor comes out to join him.

The Doctor leans against the wall and folds his arms. There is silence as they both look out at the foggy street.

So Aaron is mad at April from breaking his son's heart and yet the Doctor is mad at him for having come to this Island. The Doctor, very much like April, can be stubborn. Aaron suddenly finds the situation somewhat amusing.

"How's the leg?" The Doctor asks flatly.

Aaron self consciously shifts his weight from his real leg and to his prosthetic leg. "Hurts most of the time. Stiff. Two years since I lost the damn thing and I'm still getting physiotherapy. But it's better." Aaron replies in his usual gruff voice.

"You're still limping."

Aaron hesitates. "Therapy helps."

"You've lost your leg. How are you going to cope in a fight?"

"I'm seeing a psychiatrist," Aaron cuts across the Doctor sharply. "It's helping me to cope with everything."

The Doctor stares and says nothing back.

"The memories of that dimension and what the shape shifters did to me," Aaron pauses briefly. "The memories have been haunting me worse than ever since I lost my leg."

Then there is another long pause of silence.

"Did you really not think we would come back for this?" Aaron says as he looks at the Doctor.

"This is not your battle, Brigadier," The Doctor sighs. "This is a battle for an Aaron Brimikawood who was still a Colonel when the Daleks murdered him and his team eight years ago."

Aaron lets out a loud cackle which makes the Doctor jump. "Cut the bullshit, Doctor! This is a battle for greed. Yes it started in that world but it links the whole universe together. The entire bloody universe is coming here for a black box, just to see if they have the power," Aaron shakes his head. "I am angry with April, but we are here for her, and her brother."

The Doctor looks down at his dirty, greying white converses as they squelch down in the muddy grass beneath him.

"You do realise that once this battle is over, this Island will become a myth. April will be free from her nightmare and you will have completed the task Declan gave you. The prophecy will be cancelled out and so the twins will be free to do what they want. April can choose the life she wants and a job at UNIT is still open for her."

"Aaron..." The Doctor starts but Aaron quickly cuts him off.

"The physics between parallel worlds is bullshit, Doctor, because you transferred Martha and Sarah-Jane to our world from yours, and nothing is affecting them from it. Well maybe eventually the amount of space radiation their bodies absorbed from moving across might start to do them harm. They may not know that you did it to keep them alive from this battle. It has caused no harm. Constantly travelling between worlds does no good to the universe at all, I understand that, neither is polluting our home planet. But there is a home at UNIT for April if she wants it. My son still loves her although he refuses to admit it now."

"Where is Sullivan?" The Doctor asks with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Somewhere on this Island. He ran away from home to come here, claiming it is for the revolution, but we all know it's for April."

"I should have let the two of them to end things on a good note," the Doctor sighs as he runs his fingers through his tousled hair. "Because now you hate April."

"I don't hate her," Aaron says calmly. "I'm just angry."

"And not acknowledging her is going to make things all the better. You won't even look at her, Aaron, and you don't know how much it's hurting her," The Doctor snaps. "She may just give you her glare all the time, but you don't know what's going through her head. And I think knowing that you hate her is only going to destroy her more. She looks up to you so much."

Aaron hesitates for a little while, remembering April's mental health back in the parallel world. But she was always such a strong woman. When they accidentally transported only April from the Dalek spaceship when looking for the Doctor, she changed for the better. She became physically and mentally stronger. She pulled through a lot and did everything she could for the ones she loved.

Even now April still puts others before herself.

Aaron then lets out a long, deflated sigh. "As soon as you left our world," he says slowly and he lights another cigarette. "Morgarn came back to Will. The way Will tried to move on from April and prove to everyone that he is not hurting, he used Morgarn for sex, just like he did before. I think he does it in such a way to fool himself more than anything. Like his arrogance; it's just a cover."

"He never learns." The Doctor mutters, shaking his head.

"What else was he supposed to do? He became distant and was hardly home. I rarely saw him and he stopped coming into work. I had to threaten him that he would lose his rank but he never listened. He was away shagging Morgarn and planning his escape to come here. My wife and I were constantly scared because we knew that we were loosing him because of this. He took his hurt and anger out by sleeping with Morgarn and spent the rest of this time planning his escape here, thinking that we wouldn't notice," Aaron looks at the Doctor who is chewing on the inside of his cheek. "It doesn't make Will a bad person. It just makes him an idiot. But what do you expect a young lad to do when heartbroken? He took all of his lust and anger out on Morgarn. Which wasn't the done thing to do. But it was horrible seeing my son like this. He pushed himself away from his friends and myself. He is lost without April."

"Well April has being doing perfectly well without Will." The Doctor says smartly as he adjusts his jacket.

Aaron snorts. "That's a lie. Jack told me about her suicide attempt in Manchester."

The Doctor shoots him a warning glance and then his eyes are suddenly full of remorse and sadness. "I'm so scared we're going to lose her." He says after a little pause.

Aaron frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Jack told me that while we are here I have to let April do what she wants and to not stop her. I have a feeling she wants to be a volunteer for the race and I can tell just from the look in her eyes that she is up to something," the Doctor sighs. "And do you know what she said to me before she went into the Black Lighthouse? She reminded me the amount of people there are on this Island and only she can save them."

"It is her prophecy," Aaron says and takes another drag of his cigarette. "The Daleks have created a replica of the twins. And apparently that is what has been haunting her in her nightmare. I think it has to be them to destroy the Cytracik. They have to save themselves."

"I don't think April knows what she is doing. I think her mental state is elsewhere and I'm scared what she is going to do to herself."

Aaron sighs. "That is why we are here," he looks at the Doctor and purses his lips, forcing a smile that does not reach his eyes. "Come on. We'd better go back inside." Aaron stubs his cigarette on the wall and flicks it onto the grass.

When they both enter the house, they find everyone standing around the large dining room table. Laying on top of the table is a large scale map of the Island. Jack seems to be in the middle of briefing everyone.

There is silence in the house and everyone turns their attention to the Doctor and Aaron as they sneak back into the house. The Doctor looks from one person to another as Aaron closes the door behind them. The Doctor nods to Jack and sniffs the air.

"Am I interrupting something?" The Doctor asks, trying to keep his voice bright and cheerful.

"No, in fact you've joined us at the right time," Jack replies as he shifts his position, leaning his fist on the tabletop. "I think it's best that you two should join us."

The Doctor glances to Aaron who only stares back. Then after a moment they join the others around the table.

For the next hour or so, Jack Gruntler lectures them about what may or may not happen in the immediate future. This is something he has not done since the start of the Battle of the Cytracik, and the Doctor constantly looks over to Jack to see if he is okay. He seems as normal.

The woods are completely out-of-bounds to all villages and is only ever used for the race. Therefore Heat Miles spends the year creating traps for the volunteers to kill them off, making it look like an accident or something heroic. However this year there are more traps for the visitors.

Because Rodger Barratt is now in possession of the Cytracik again, there are two things he will do: he will hide a replica of the Cytraick somewhere within the woods to trick the visitors, or he will take part in the race himself. The former idea seems more likely than the latter.

Jack Gruntler then sighs. "I had a chat with Rodger Barratt himself after you left the party," he says as he pointedly looks at the Doctor. "Rodger Barratt has known me for many years and yet his weakest factor is how much he trusts me. As we all noticed, his plans with that party did not go according to plan. The appearance of the Cybermen was not what he wanted: the truth got out and now all those party goers are aware that he _invited_ the Cybermen here. And he was not expecting the arrival of the Slitheen either, so clearly he has been thrown off his feet a little. He is desperate to keep the citizens of this Island under control and apparently him becoming their King will only give them hope. So he thinks."

"Okay," Martha starts. "When we arrived last week, we were able to search the hills of Ebernie but weren't quite able to make it into the Heat Miles base. It is surrounded by those shape shifters left, right and centre. It would only be suicide even attempting to get in."

"But there was a factory there," Alic jumps in. "I think its further behind the hills, but there was this horrible stench coming from it. We assume it's something to do with the Beast or the Day of Destruction. But they're burning something in there."

Jack looks at Alic for a moment. "We have one more week left until the start of the Day of Destruction. UNIT are to investigate that factory."

"Jack, I said that it's completely surrounded by guards. There is no way we can get in without causing a scene." Martha snaps.

"Brigadier?" Jack says, looking sternly at Aaron.

For a moment Aaron looks somewhat lost but he turns to his soldiers. "We'll start tonight. I think today should be spent on the Island with these citizens. The Sontarans are currently hiding by the fishing pools on the West side of the Island. They think they'll be camouflaged there until the Day of Destruction. Tonight we'll find out about this Beast."

The Doctor and Jack exchange glances.

"Are you sure you're going to want to do that?" The Doctor asks quietly.

"Well what else is there to do?" Aaron hisses. "What do you know more than I do?"

The Doctor shuffles awkwardly on the spot, not wanting to be the one to mention about Monroe. The Doctor doesn't even know how bad the situation with Monroe could be. But he does not want to think about it. "I don't think you'll like what you hear."

"So," Aaron continues, ignoring the Doctor. "On the Day of the Destruction, the volunteers race into the woods and continue to do the act of bravery it is made out to be, and fight the visitors to defend the Cytracik. But the shape shifters will probably not take part in this race but there is no guarantee. So what are we supposed to do?" Aaron asks, looking at Jack. "Do we take part in the race and help defend the Cytracik? Or do we hang back and kill the shape shifters because it's about bloody time somebody does it."

There is a long pause of silence as Jack Gruntler stares at Aaron, giving him that look they all know: he knows the right answer but he isn't willing to say so.

Aaron groans. "Fuck sake." He mutters under his breath.

"It is not my place to tell you what to do, Brigadier. _You_ need to lead your own team. Why don't you tell me what you think will be the best thing to do? Are you going to defend the Cytracik or destroy it? Don't fall into the greedy path that everything else has fallen into."

Once Jack Gruntler's lecture is over, Jack pulls Max to the side and has a quiet word with him. Ireen then joins April who is sitting on the stairs. April looks down at her hands and picks at the dead skin from her fingers, trying her best to listen to what Jack is saying to Max. She is well aware that her granddad is over in the corner of the room, watching her.

Ireen passes April a mug of tea. For a long moment April just stares at the steaming mug in front of her, remembering the amount of times Ireen used to do this back in the parallel world. The gesture used to be so calming to April, but now she is just being struck with deja vu.

"Take it. Please." Ireen says softly.

April does so and mutters a thanks, not really looking at Ireen in the eye. Ireen sits by her side on the stairs. April blows at the tea before taking her first sip. Ireen waits to see the way her shoulders always used to relax and the scowl on her face soften after every time she had one of her teas. However this time round, April does not visibly relax. She still looks far away and closed in.

After a long while, April reaches inside her jean pocket and pulls out a little silver coin and passes it to Ireen. As Ireen takes it, she notices that it is not in fact a coin due to the weight and thickness of it. As she turns it over in her hands, she realises that is it the UNIT pin she gave April when she came to the UNIT base for the first time.

"You've kept it all this time?" Ireen says, completely taken back, surprised.

"We'll always be here for you," April says softly. "That's what you said when you gave it to me."

"I meant it. And still do. We travelled to this Island for _you_."

April frowns. "But I feel so far away from you. You all look at me differently. Will isn't even here and Aaron won't acknowledge me." April almost chokes on her words but quickly stops; she is not going to make a scene in front of everyone. She has to be strong. Ireen always made her feel like it was okay to talk about the things on her mind. But right now did not feel like the right time.

Ireen looks at April and takes hold of her hand in both of hers.

"We've missed you _so_ much, April. It has not been the same without you."

April allows her hand to rest between Ireen's warm hands. She suddenly remembers the day of Harry Summerland's funeral. April was there when Ireen's husband died due to the sudden frozen temperatures of the world. She was there for Ireen during the funeral. And now Ireen is promising that she is here for her.

"I can't go anywhere without the UNIT pin in my pocket. That or the wingerdette broach."

Ireen suddenly tenses. She frowns and looks at April. "What have you got?"

April's scowl deepens. "A Wingerdette broach," she then fishes in her other jean pocket. "I bought it on planet Zorlon." She takes the hexagonal silver, broach, seeing the Wingerdette engraved on the surface shine in the light, and passes it to Ireen who almost snatches it.

Ireen holds the broach in both her hands and stares down at it in shock.

But before April can say anything, Ireen jumps to her feet.

"April has it! The broach! We can bring the Wingerdettes back!" She shouts.

Everyone turns their attention to Ireen holding the broach above her head.

But before anyone can do anything, there is a sudden shake, almost like an earthquake.

Everyone is thrown off their feet, clattering to the floor from the force of the earthquake. The glass in the windows shatters and there is a loud rumble through the air, almost like thunder.

However they all know that this is not an earthquake.

This is the arrival of some new visitors.


	17. XVI - Out of hand

**XVI  
Out of hand**

_The Island  
__Jack Gruntler's residence_

The Doctor is first to get back onto his feet and run outside. He is very quickly followed by Aaron and then Rose. The Doctor stops at the road and looks directly up at the sky above him. Rose stands close to his side and also looks upwards.

The sky is still covered over with grey clouds, yet there is a slow moving shadow looming through the misty air.

"Jack!" The Doctor shouts and Jack Gruntler eventually steps out of the house with Joseph. Soon everyone comes out and joins the Doctor and Rose as they watch the new alien spaceship arrive to the Island.

The ship floats in the air like a large, black teardrop. It hangs in its oval shape, however the black exterior of the ship is so dense it is almost like looking into a black hole – like you are being sucked into it.

The ship hums as it glides effortlessly through the sky, creating shadows over the houses as it passes.

There is a silence around the Island, except from the humming of the ship. Everyone's attention is being drawn up to the large, black spaceship in the air.

Rose takes hold of the Doctor's hand, recognising the signs of his anger and nervous nature. She can just tell what he is possibly thinking just from the way his breaths are short and sharp. Neither the Doctor nor Rose has seen this spaceship on their travels before. And right now, Rose does not know what is more frightening: meeting past enemies, or meeting new ones.

The hum of the spaceship is low and rings deeply inside everyone's ears as it glides directly over Jack Gruntler's house. They can feel the ground beneath their feet tremble, but they remain silent as the ship continues to swiftly move further away.

The ship seems to be heading towards the hills of Ebernie.

The Doctor's attention is immediately drawn away from the spaceship when havoc starts to erupt on the streets. And he already knows that this is completely out of his hands.

Aaron clears his throat. "I suppose this is the last thing the Major would want." He mocks as he stares at the havoc in the neighbourhood: people screaming and running.

"It is the last thing any of us need," Jack snaps. "All of you, inside NOW!"

From the sharp tone to Jack's voice, everyone does exactly what he says and scuttles back into the house. Jack slams the front door behind him and ushers everyone back into the living room.

"Right, this has gone far enough." Jack hisses under his breath.

"I bet Rodger Barratt is getting himself in a right old state about this." Alic says.

"That is beside the point, Grange," Jack snaps. "There is a spaceship making its way towards Heat Miles and no less that ninety-nine per cent of the population here on this Island will have seen it. And you can hear the disruption and mayhem it is already causing on this Island," Jack momentarily closes his eyes and lets out a long breath. "This was not how the battle was going to turn out."

"How was is supposed to turn out then?" Aaron angrily presses on.

"The visitors were supposed to show up for the Battle without the whole Island knowing. The prophecy always said that the Battle would remain on the Day of Destruction. Not before."

"So our prophecy is changing." Max states flatly as he nods his head slowly.

"It's _adapting_. And because the visitors are making their appearance now, it means that this battle is already starting."

The Doctor frowns. "I am lost here. The Battle of the Cytracik started over eight years ago. You said that this Battle never ended, it's still happening."

"Do you ever listen to me?" Jack shouts. "The Battle will be happening for as long as that Cytracik still exists! There are battles within battles. It started when the Daleks got involved eight years ago. The Battle continues but will adapt for the twins prophecy to be fulfilled. But if the Daleks are the next to open the Cytracik then there will be another prophecy about them to lead to the next battle. How many times to I have to explain myself?"

There is a moment of silence as everyone stares at Jack, never having seen him this angry before.

"Is our prophecy to be fulfilled or are we to stop it?" April asks quietly.

"You are to stop it." The Doctor replies.

"Fantastic," April replies sarcastically. "You let me go and sort this out myself and yet I _still_ don't know what it is I'm stopping. We're here to destroy the Cytracik," she looks at the Doctor. "You're here because my father asked you to look after me because he knew that Max was taken back in time. You talk about my prophecy all the time but you've never actually said much about it other than it's there to kill us. The prophecy gave Max his illness to kill him off. And it gave me this nightmare so I'm supposed to be killed off by the Daleks or something."

The Doctor and Jack exchange glances and Jack nods.

"April..." The Doctor starts but then stops instantly when Martha's mobile phone rings.

Everyone watches Martha as she picks up her phone and answers it. They can see the look on her face drop as she speaks to the other person down the other end of the line.

"Okay I'll be right there," she says and then she turns to Aaron. "That was Will. One of the volunteers has just been attacked by the new aliens."

Without further ado, Martha and Aaron run out of the house.

"Terry come with me." The Doctor orders and runs after them. Terry does the same and disappears through the doorway.

April hesitates for a moment before she looks at her brother and then to Joseph.

Joseph looks down his nose at her and then nods. "Maxwell will be needed."

Then Max and April runs out the door.

Sarah-Jane sighs. "Who's up for finding a way into the Heat Miles base?"

* * *

The screams echo around the barn. It is nightfall. His screams could be heard anywhere.

Orion carries a screaming and bloodied Joshua over his shoulders, rushing him to the nearest bench in the barn. Will quickly ends his call to Martha and looks out to the dark field around the barn. Seconds later Martha appears.

"Where is he?" She asks. Will points to Joshua on the table and she rushes over to him.

Then unexpectedly Aaron appears out of nowhere and stops abruptly when he sees his son. For a moment they both look a little lost as they just stare at each other. But then Aaron glances down to Will's bloody neck.

"Get yourself cleaned up." Aaron grumbles before joining the others around the table.

Will quickly holds his hand to the side of his neck and notices for the first time the gash oozing blood. He turns into the spare room at the back of the barn to clean himself up just as the Doctor and Terry appears.

Joshua, now lying flat on his back on the table, whimpers as Martha gently prieses open one of his eyes and shines a small torch.

"You're going to be okay, Josh," Martha says softly. "Just keep looking into the light for me."

"I don't want to die." Joshua cries.

"We're not going to let that happen," Martha says, ignoring the large gash in his stomach Orion is trying his best to put pressure on to stop the bleeding. "Can you tell me what happened?" Martha then examines the scars all over his battered body.

"We were on our way to the arena they've built on this Island," Billie says. "But on the way we were attacked by these invisible creatures. We only saw them in reflections but they looked like fur-less monkeys. Joshua got it bad."

"I can see that. Pass me my tools."

Joshua screams in agony and Martha starts to work on him. And that's when April and Max show up. Max immediately goes over to his table and starts to make his own analysis.

The volunteers around them all exchange glances warily, but recognising the twins they say nothing.

Martha and Max work together as a team to try and keep Joshua alive as he continues to scream out in agony. April hangs back and observes the scene. But all she can see is the kitchen to Ireen's and Harry Summerland's house, and Will lying naked on the table after being attacked by a Cyberman three years previously.

But that is not the real scene in front of her, Instead she is in a large barn. It is dark outside and there are a handful of people here she briefly remembers seeing on the stage at Rodger Barratt's party last night. A young man she does not know screams out in a razor blade agony that he doesn't want to die. A very large black man tries to hold him down as Martha and Max work on him.

To one side the Doctor and Terry whisper amongst each other. Terry taps away at her handheld device, probably trying to figure out what happened. Ellis goes over to a young man, a little older than Joshua, who looks unnaturally pale. Ellis walks him over to a seat before he feints. Aaron stands at the head of the table, looking down at Joshua and trying to speak to him. But Joshua only screams.

And that is when Will storms back into the barn. He holds a thick bandage to his neck, the blood still seeping through.

April's heart leaps up into her throat as she stands there motionless, staring at the man she fell in love with. The man she wanted to be with and love for the rest of her life, but she backed away. The man who now looks so different. Will is still as tall and muscular as he used to be, if not more, but his blond hair is no longer short and perfectly trimmed. Instead it is long and falls into his blue eyes in perfect ringlets.

The noise in the barn is loud, April cannot distinguish one voice from another as she slowly makes her way towards the table. But just from the way Joshua's screams are getting weaker and weaker, they all know that he is about to die.

"Joshua stay with us!" Martha shouts and she does her best to clean his wound on his stomach but his eyes slowly flutter.

Orion holds his head firmly in his large hands. "Come on, Joshua, hang in there. Josh!"

But then Joshua lets out his final breath.


	18. XVII - Forgiveness

**XVII  
Forgiveness**

_The Island  
__The barn_

There is silence between everyone as they all look down at Joshua's limp body lying on the table. His mouth is slightly agape. His eyes staring lifelessly upwards. One hand resting in Orion's hand, the other hangs over the edge of the table. Nothing else can be heard other than the odd cricket chirping outside.

Martha is the first to move.

Not wanting to accept the death of this innocent young boy, Martha continues to work on Joshua as if she might revive him again. Avoiding the stares from everyone else around her, Martha pokes around at the gash in Joshua's stomach. She mindlessly works away, putting pressure on his wound and then pumping at his heart. Everyone watches silently.

"Martha." Max calls softly, knowing that Joshua will not come back alive. He looks at the look of desperation in Martha's eyes as she continues to work away at this dead body. Max sighs. "Martha." He calls again softly but there is still no response from her. Eventually Max reaches forward and grabs hold of Martha's wrist.

Eventually she stops what she is doing and looks up at him.

"Your job here is done." Max tries to offer a soft smile, but Martha looks too sad. Then without further ado, Max gingerly closes Joshua's eyes. It is final.

The atmosphere in the barn is morbid and no one knows what to do. Joshua was only eighteen years old. The silence continues for a long while.

Aaron turns away from the table and walks over to the Doctor who looks as shocked as everyone else does. However Aaron looks more scared than shocked. He stops close to the Doctor and speaks deeply in his ear.

"Bring him back alive. Use your Tardis and stop that boy from being killed!" He hisses.

The Doctor does not reply but only stares blankly ahead.

Quiet voices amongst the other volunteers start to echo around the barn once Orion covers Joshua's pale and bloodied face with his black leather jacket.

April remains standing in the exact same spot she has been since she arrived. She stands there, looking at Joshua's lifeless body on the table. She then looks over to Will who has not even acknowledged her appearance.

Will looks distressed and April desperately wants to go to him and hold him in her arms. She wants to make sure that he is okay, but right now seems like the wrong time to do that. But why? She was pulled away from him without her wanting to. Surely they should be running to each other, desperate for each other's company and affection again. April's strong feelings for Will never left her, and being with him now, her feelings seem to be stronger.

But right now she feels like she can't even speak to him just because she told him that she could not forgive him.

Ellis holds a cigarette directly in front of April's line of vision, bringing her back to the present moment. Her scowl deepening, April takes the offered cigarette without a word.

"Leave the past where it is, April. I've already said that it isn't going to help you now," Ellis says flatly. "Your grandfather is here to look after you and Maxwell. If you don't take the first step forward, you are going to be stuck in the past forever," Ellis looks at April and then slowly turns away, speaking in a low voice. "You'll probably find Will smoking round the back entrance to the barn in the next couple of minutes." Ellis then clears his throat and moves away.

Without further ado, April turns and leaves the barn, not wanting to take another second there. Pretending to anyone who asks that she is only taking a wonder, April walks towards the back end of the barn, lighting her cigarette along the way. Once it is lit, she takes in her first deep drag, allowing the tobacco to completely fill up her lungs.

Will is currently not at the back end of the barn. Not yet anyway. But April uses this time to compose herself, making the most of the time alone, away from the prying eyes of the Doctor, Aaron or Ellis. She feels like there is so much expected from her, but April is clueless. And this makes her angry.

But right now her main priority is to not let Will go.

Then right on cue, Will Sullivan himself steps out the barn to have a cigarette. Just as he shields the tip of his cigarette from the wind, Will and April look at each other for what feels like the very first time.

Both thinking the exact same thing: it feels like they are looking at someone different.

Will's eyes start to fill up with tears. "No," he says sternly. "I can't deal with this right now." With that, he turns and starts walking away from her, almost disappearing into the darkness of the fields around the barn. The man April first met nearly three years ago – three years for her and nearly four for him – the arrogant flirt, is now crumbling down with emotions right in front of her, and it kills April to see him like this.

"No, Will, please!" April pleads as she runs after him. "Please can we just talk about this?" April can feel her voice cracking but she is not willing to break down in tears just yet; she has to be strong. "I can barely handle your father ignoring me. Will, please just listen!"

But Will keeps walking on.

April runs, overtakes and stops directly in front of Will, blocking his pathway. "What are you so afraid of?" April snaps, now angry. "Why are you being such a coward and running away from me?"

"Do you really think that I can go through all this again and then take another goodbye from you?" Will snaps back, his hard blue eyes still glistening with tears.

"I'm not here to say goodbye. I'm here to save my brother's and my own fucking arse. And this shoddy Island while I'm at it. But I'm _here _right now to say sorry, Will."

"Sorry for what, exactly?"

"You know what." April mutters, folding her arms across her chest against the cold wind. She is suddenly aware of the fading scars on her wrist and although they have faded, they have still left permanent white scars. Right now April does not want Will too see. Not even in the darkness around them.

Will sighs.

"I'm sorry for not forgiving you," April lets out a surprised laugh. "Is that what you want to hear? You want me to apologise for wanting to take time away to trust you again?"

"But you left my parallel world."

"I had no fucking choice!" April shouts. "I shouted at the Doctor and told him to clear off because him and your father made a pact behind our backs to take me away. And the Doctor did a bloody good job of clearing off."

"Do you not realise how hard it was for me to deal with losing you?"

"It was hard for me too, Will!" April bites her tongue hard to stop herself from crying. "I thought I'd still be with you and I was willing to find time to start over again. Aaron and the Doctor continued to give me hope that I would be able to stay in your world."

"Was? You were willing?"

"Still am."

Will lets out another heavy sigh. "Do you know what I've been doing these past few of years since you left my world, April? Every day I was making plans about coming here. I filed through Declan's files about this battle and learnt more about your nightmare which you never spoke to me about. I thought that the only way I could get back to you is to come here."

"And here we are. But you're being distant," April says weakly. "I feel like you're pushing me away."

"You pushed _me_ away, April!" Will takes a few steps away from her, his voice becoming softer. "Seeing you again is harder than I thought it would be. I did everything I could to make it up to you, April. I'd still give you everything, but you pushed me away. And what did I do? Continue to do everything to get back to you," Will snorts. "God, I poured my heart out to you, April. The first woman I loved. And I _still_ love you, April. But you can't have it all. You said that you couldn't forgive me. But maybe I can't quite forgive you either."

April frowns. "But you killed a man."

Will groans. "Are you always going to keep judging me for that?"

"No. I mean...I don't know. It was murder, Will."

"I'm a soldier," Will states firmly. "I have killed many."

"Yes but that wasn't part of your job. You killed Peter Bursnell out of choice, not because you are a soldier."

"Is there a difference?" Will snaps. "I'm a soldier whether or not I am with UNIT. All the people and aliens I have killed before as part of my job, is that not also murder? Have you not killed someone, April?"

There is a long pause of silence between them as they stare at each other. Their memories of being with each other comes flooding back.

Will swallows. "There's a battle going on right now," he says softly. "A battle that needs to be dealt with. We can get through this because I'm not giving up on you," Will's voice shakes. "I love you. But the time isn't right." Will turns and starts to walk back to the barn.

April watches Will for a while and then calls after him. "I tried to kill myself not long after we were separated." The words feel odd on her tongue. It is a factor she has always tried to deny. She kept telling herself and everyone else around her that she definitely was not trying to drown herself in the river in Manchester. But now she can no longer deny that even to herself.

Will stops walking as dread runs through him. He slowly turns back to look at April and frowns. "Why would you do that to yourself?" He says sternly.

That's when April can no longer stop the tears from flowing from her eyes. "It's something that has been on my mind since my first attempt when I was fourteen," April allows the tears to fall as she decides to admit the story she has never told anyone before. "I was thirteen when I lost my parents and Max. I had no memory of even having a brother. But I was stuck with living with a shape shifter who pretended to be Bruce Fey. I tried to kill myself when I was fourteen. And I tried again, and again, and again. And I found every way I could find to hurt myself. I guess the Doctor was a blessing in disguise because it took my mind off being depressed and my death as I explored other worlds. But then I became a part of UNIT. And I felt part of something. I felt that my life was worth living. And you just made me wish for a future. A safe, happy future with you. It's something I still want. But then I lost everything that was keeping me from wanting to stay alive. I lost you. I lost UNIT, and I lost my faith in the Doctor. So I jumped in the river and tried to drown myself. But my brother saved me," April lets out a shaky sigh. "Not a day has gone by since then that I have not thought about this. But also not a day has gone by since I left your world that I do not regret hurting you as much as I have done. I can't talk to anyone about this, but I'm trying to keep my mind preoccupied by this battle. I don't think I'm okay. I don't know any more. Finding my brother gave me hope. Despite the fact that it's hard, knowing that my grandfather is still alive is giving me hope. Forgiving Rose gave me hope. Seeing Jason gave me hope. Ireen making me tea gave me hope. But Aaron won't acknowledge me and you clearly hate me."

"How can that be a factor to you wanting to die?"

April shrugs and wipes her nose. "I'm not good with losing people I love. I can't take much of myself on my own most of the time," she then angrily shakes her head. "I'm not saying that I need someone to save me because that's just stupid. The only thing that really was keeping me going was you, UNIT and the Doctor. You gave me hope. UNIT gave me hope and so did the Doctor. That's why I kept going. Now I have nothing."

"You have me." Will says softly, taking a step closer to her.

"I don't want your sympathy." April backs away but then stops.

"This is not sympathy. This is me not wanting to lose you again. Not for the second time."

April frowns and stares at Will. "Before I left. I told you I loved you."

"Did you mean it?"

"I still do."

Will and April stand very close to each other, there only being millimetres between them. But for a while they do not speak.

"Please don't ever leave me." Will eventually whispers. He reaches forward and takes her hand in his.

However, just as their hands connect, another spaceship flies overhead.

Immediately April and Will duck down into the muddy grass and look up at the dark sky. They can just about see the outline of a rounded-shaped spaceship soaring through the sky at high speed.

"It's heading towards the Black Lighthouse." April hisses.

April takes Will's hand and they start running.

They run through the dark fields away from the barn, heading more towards the village centre. They say nothing, and they do not let go of each other. They keep running forward, holding tightly onto each other's hands.

When they reach the final field, they clamber over the wooden fence and find themselves in one of the neighbourhoods, just off from where the main village square is. Still holding onto each other, they silently creep through the shadows of the houses. They stop when they see the villagers leaving their homes.

There is a small chatter amongst everyone as they wrap themselves up to coats and sleepily walk away from their homes. They all walk in the same direction. The villagers around this area clearly have not been causing havoc like there has been in other areas around this Island.

"What do you think they are doing?" Will whispers.

April only shakes her head. "I don't know."

That is when they hear an ear piercing alarm which is followed by an announcement overhead. It is a low, robotic voice that echoes through the street around them.

"All citizens must remain calm. Leave your homes and make your way to your nearest shelter. We advise that you leave personal belongings behind. Food and water will be found in your shelter. Heat Miles are dealing with the attack. We will update you regularly during the night. All citizens must remain within the designated shelters until told to do so."

April and Will look at each other.

Over in the near distance, an attack can be heard. Now whether this is from the new aliens that has just flown overhead, or the ones that arrived earlier in the day, cannot be clarified. But Will and April remain hiding in the shadows of the houses, watching everyone solemnly walk up the street. Children clutch onto mother's hands. Parents hold onto each other and so do siblings as they follow the crowd heading towards the nearest shelter.

"Think we should go back to the others," Will says. "I don't want anyone else trying to join the fight."

"No," April replies. "I think they have other ideas."

April glares at the Doctor who is walking amongst the crowd, along with Rose and Terry. No one else seems to be around. The Doctor catches April's eye and gives her the smallest of nods, as if to say that she and Will should join them.

"Where are the others?" Will hisses.

April looks at Will. "You should go back."

Will frowns. "I'm staying with you."

"No you're not. You are trying to lead a revolution, are you not? Go back and find Ellis and the others. I'll stay here."

There is a silent look that passes between them. Will looks uncertain.

"Meet me back at the barn at dawn." He says.

"I promise." With that, April turns away from Will and steps out of the shadows. Keeping her head down, she follows the crowd, slowly making her way across the road to join the Doctor. They walk on in silence, following the crowd who takes them further and further down the street. April wishes that she still had her hoodie with her, just so that she can conceal her face more. She glances to her left and notices Max by her side, their shoulders touching as they walk on.

Everyone walks on in silence for a while longer and the announcement repeats itself a couple more times. The robotic voice echoes around them, giving them the feeling that they are somehow being observed.

Right at the end of the street, they can see an iron hut. The large doorway leads to stairs taking them to the shelter underground.

Rose lets out a little gasp and halts the Doctor. Noticing the stop, Terry, Max and April stop walking. That is when they notice three shape shifters, all of which are in their blue and white fencing suits. Their black, horrific faces are covered by their fencing helmets, making them look like humans on the outside.

The shape shifters stop every person and scans their faces before allowing them to enter the shelter. They are looking for anything or anyone who do not belong to this Island. Knowing that the Doctor and the twins are at the top of the list to be captured, they know that they all have to turn away.

Keeping his head low, the Doctor leads the way by turning around and walking in the other direction. Rose, Terry, Max and April say nothing as they follow him. This causes a little disruption in the flow of the crowd as they all have to dodge past everyone walking to the shelters.

Then they start to hear the sound of marching. Not as mechanic and robotic as the sound of the Cybermen march, but it is very clear to hear the sound of heavy boots hitting the gravel beneath their feet.

The Doctor looks up and that's when he notices the army of shape shifters heading their way. They are there to control the flow of the movement of the crowd and to make sure that everyone gets to their shelter safely. Each shape shifter holds onto a long white gun which almost looks somewhat like a rifle. The amount of shape shifters take up the whole span of the road. The Doctor knows that there will be no easy way out of this without being caught.

The Doctor looks over April's head and catches Max's eye. A look that April does not notice. Max raises his eyebrows asking: should I do it? And the Doctor nods in response.

Max then looks down at his twin sister. "I'm so sorry, April." That is when he pulls out a white cloth and immediately covers her mouth.

April lets out a scream, but it is completely muffled by the cloth. She wriggles in her brother's strong grip in a panic. What the hell is going on? The Doctor, Rose and Terry only look down at her sympathetically.

Betrayal. That is the only thing April can think of. Everyone has betrayed her. Are they on Heat Miles' side? They can't be. This must be some sort of trap.

These thoughts run through April's mind as she tries her best to free herself from Max's grip. Tears fill her eyes. She does not understand what they are doing. She can hear people screaming at them to stop and there is chaos on the street. The Doctor looks across, panicked, at the group of shape shifters approaching them.

But Max only continues to apologise as he pulls out a syringe from his back trouser pocket. Inside the syringe is florescent green liquid. The colour and the brightness of the liquid is identical to the buttons on the Tardis console.

April feels Terry's cold hands on her right arm, the same arm that was completely covered in burn marks from the explosion at Battersea Power Station. Terry finds the vein in her arm and snatches the syringe from Max's hand.

That's when April starts to kick, but Rose, looking panicked that they are going to cause too much attention, holds down her ankles.

"We trust that you can do this, April. Get everything back to normal." Rose says softly just as the robotic announcement repeats itself.

April's scowls becomes painfully harsh as she glares at Rose. Do what?

Suddenly there is an explosion in the far distance.

Everyone screams and falls to the floor. Panic arises around them and the shape shifter's march seems to get louder and nearer.

"Do it now!" The Doctor snaps and without further ado, Terry pierces April's arm with the syringe, pushing the green liquid into her bloodstream.

April's wriggling slows down as finds herself falling to the ground. Max gently lays her down on the ground and looks at her, panic in his eyes.

"You can help us, April. You can stop this from happening." Max says softly.

April tries to say something but is completely tongue-tied. She continues to glare at Max. Her vision starts to become clouded and darkness creeps in around her.

Soon there is nothing.


	19. XVIII - Finding the beast

**XVIII  
Finding the beast**

_The Island  
__Outside the Heat Miles base_

Rose, Sarah-Jane and Ireen feel disappointed by the architecture of the Heat Miles base to say the least. Compared to Rodger Barratt's mansion, they are expecting something extravagant. Instead they are just met with a large, four storey, grey block, with small white windows. Further behind the base is a smaller looking factory with two high concrete chimneys. No smoke erupts from the chimneys.

The base seems to be situated in the centre of some large crater in the ground, completely concealed by the hills of Ebernie. The air around them is still.

The moment everyone left Jack Grunter's house to go to the volunteer injured from a fight, Jack pulled Sarah-Jane, Rose and Ireen back.

They are to break into the Heat Miles base and to save Monroe.

"Why are we to save Monroe?" Sarah-Jane said when he told them. "He caused us enough havoc."

"Because he is Heat Miles' biggest weapon in this battle. All I know is that he has been incarcerated in a completely soundless cell for many years. I fear what that has already done to him."

Rose frowned at Jack's explanation. "You were the one who suggested that Monroe was to be sent to Heat Miles in the first place."

"That was when I thought Heat Miles could be trusted. When I thought we would be able to get them on our side," Jack stared at Rose. "I always explained that this is the first time I cannot see what is to happen exactly."

Jack then gave them a map of the base and gave them instructions on where the best places to go and not get caught.

The three now walk through the darkness. The Heat Miles base is completely hidden behind the tall hills of Ebernie. It feels like the village is completely shut away from the other side of the hills. Any sounds from the village can no longer be heard.

Their first obstacle to pass to reach the base are the three watch towers.

All three watch towers have blindingly white searchlights that scoop the large field between the hills and the base entrance. The three searchlights scoop around the whole field sporadically, making it almost impossible for them to try and pass through the field without being lit.

One of the searchlights roams over their next obstacle, which is a high barbed wire fence that surrounds the base. This is one of the many things that Jack Gruntler has chosen not to mention about their mission.

"So what do we do?" Rose whispers as she puffs out some air heavily. "We're all armed. Shall we shoot one spotlight each?"

"No that will only draw their attention," Ireen replies. "It's best to just avoid them."

Ireen purses her lips as she observes the field and the circuits each searchlight takes. It only takes her a minute or so to figure out a way to go without being caught, but even so it is risky. There is a minor pause of darkness right by the watch tower to their left that they can try to pass through. But it means that they will have to break out in a run without any hesitation.

Heat Miles are clever, Ireen gives them that. But what choice do they have?

She turns to Sarah-Jane and Rose. "Follow me."

Ducking ever so slightly, Ireen starts to run to their left, heading towards the wall to the crater. Sarah-Jane follows pursuit. She remembers the amount of times they have had to follow Ireen when trying to dodge watch towers in the past. Ireen was always the best when it came to camouflaging oneself. Rose, however, having not experienced this, is suddenly full of dread. She cannot even imagine how quickly her death will be if she is caught in the light. But she can trust Ireen.

They stop at the crater wall and wait for the small gap the lights will create.

Twice Ireen makes a move to run when she is sure the gap appears but something holds her back. Fear possibly, because she knows that she has only got one chance to get herself and her friends across safely.

However the third time she is ready for that small gap between the light. She runs, and Sarah-Jane and Rose follow. They speed across the field, narrowly missing the lights as they stop just under the watch tower. They hide in the shadows of one of the wooden balustrades to catch their breaths.

To their luck the searchlights do not scoop the short area between the watch towers at the wired fence. Rose examines the fences and then groans.

"Fantastic, the last thing we need is an electric fence," Rose breathes out heavily. "Heat Miles are really into keeping enemies out, aren't they."

There is a hint of sarcasm to Rose's voice, but Sarah-Jane smiles as she pulls out three sets of black gloves from her backpack.

"Well it's lucky that Declan Hollerford invented clothes that will stop us from becoming electrocuted," Sarah-Jane says casually. She pulls out three black overalls and passes one each to Martha and Rose. "We can easily climb that fence without being killed or even caught along the way."

"Lucky you've come prepared." Rose says as she zips herself into the black overall.

"Lucky we have Declan alive for this kind of thing." Ireen replies.

When the three of them are fully protected, they sneak out from under the watch tower and make their way to the fence. And then simultaneously, they start climbing the fence, all holding their breaths, silently praying that these suits really work their magic.

And luckily they do, as Ireen, Sarah-Jane and Rose land safely back on the gravel on the other side of the fence.

For a moment the three stand there and stare up at the large square building of the base. Most of the small windows are dark, but shivers run down their spins, not being able to shake off the feeling that they are still being watched.

However it is not the main base that Jack Gruntler wants them to break into, it is the factory.

Rose takes a sniff of the air but then suddenly starts to choke as her nose is burnt by the pungent fumes coming from the factory. They all cover their noses with the neckline to their black overalls just as they notice the smoke coming from the two chimneys.

And they know what this particular smell is.

The smell is of burning corpses.

Not wanting to think too much of it, Ireen starts making her way forward. "Come on," she grumbles. "We better get a move on."

To their luck, the neckline to their overalls can easily sit over their noses, trying to block out as much of the horrible stench as it can. They take out their guns and carry them in both hands as they walk towards the factory.

"I really hope you won't have to use your gun, Rose. But just shoot if anything tries to get to you." Sarah-Jane says.

They follow the route Jack Gruntler advised them, and enter the factory through the back way. The back door is only used to take out the rubbish, so it is easy for them to sneak in.

Ireen opens the door, surveys the small, damp corridor and steps in first. Rose follows and Sarah-Jane enters last, closing the door behind her. This room is filled with junk and they have a hard time trying to scramble over everything laying on the floor.

They eventually reach an iron door which Ireen pulls open with difficulty. The door swings open heavily, with a loud creak and they are met with a rush of hot air. They pull down their overalls from their faces, already feeling the sweat form on their skin. Again, Ireen leads them into a long corridor, spanning both ways to her left and right. The flooring under her feet is rusty metal and the walls are of the same iron as the door. Then holding her gun firmly in both hands, Ireen decides to take a left down the corridor.

They follow the corridor and carefully glance behind corners, just to make sure that there is no one in their way. To their luck, they pass no one. The corridor leads them out to what looks like a large boiler room. They step out onto the top balcony, over-looking the drop below. There are a couple of balconies underneath them, leading off to different corridors. But right on the bottom floor, in the centre of this room is a large furnace.

Standing around the furnace is Lucien and about three other Heat Miles workers, all in white lab coats. Apart from Lucien who is sporting a long, thick black coat.

Immediately, Rose, Sarah-Jane and Ireen crouch down for cover and listen to the voices below.

"Sir," one of the workers calls. "We have already started the burn. If we overpower it too much the rest of the village will be able to smell it. We cannot afford to be caught. Not when everything is causing chaos."

Lucien folds his arms and taps his foot on the ground in an agitated manner. "The Major is trying to prepare us for when UNIT or the Doctor decides the break into our base. Jack Gruntler has already said that they will."

Rose, Sarah-Jane and Martha exchange cautious and yet angry glances.

"Yes, sir, we know that." The man replies.

"I don't think UNIT will try and kill us. But if they discover what we have done to the villagers-"

"They are not going to find out." The man says calmly, cutting across Lucien.

"They will if we don't burn the corpses quick enough!"

They are correct. Heat Miles are burning corpses here. But what for? And who are they burning?

"Does Mr Lustworve know?"

"Of course he doesn't," Lucien scoffs. "He will be the first to die on the Day of Destruction. We are not going to sort that out until he is dead."

"I understand, sir."

"Oh you understand, do you?" Lucien raises his voice so that it echoes loudly around the boiler room. "Well then just shut up and do your job and shove another fifty corpses into the bloody furnace! The Major is going to send the citizens to their shelters this evening, so we can try and get the aliens on our side. They won't be able to smell from underground."

"Yes, sir."

"And make it quick!" Lucien hisses. "I'm having a hard enough time as it is to stop the beast from leaving his cell." With that Lucien turns on his heels and storms out of the boiler room, his long black coat flaying behind him. The other workers look at each other before they turn their separate ways.

Not being able to take the heat in the boiler room any longer, Ireen starts to walk swiftly along the balcony, still crouching. Sarah-Jane and Rose follow. They descend the metal stairs until they reach the bottom floor.

At a quick pace they march across the bottom of the boiler room, passing the furnace and heading towards the corridor Lucien disappeared through. However, just as they reach the other side to the furnace, one of the Heat Miles workers returns, carrying a large black body bag. He halts mid-step as he registers the intruders.

"Hey!" He yells, but Ireen shoots him dead before he can do anything.

However it is too late for them and his yell has been heard. About five or so more Heat Miles workers come running out to get them. Ireen, Sarah-Jane and Rose do their best to defend themselves. Currently it is a matter of life or death because they know that if they surrender, they will be shot dead.

It is a case of to shoot or to be shot, Rose thinks.

They fight off the workers with ease and as soon as they think they are safe, they start to run towards the corridor. But that is when the intruder alarm is set off. Yet the alarm sends cold shivers down Rose's back for it is no ordinary alarm that rings out. It is the chilling siren that has been heard through history across all worlds. The siren used to announce an oncoming air raid during the Second World War and to announce a nuclear bomb threat.

The alarm is so loud, Rose, Sarah-Jane and Ireen cry out in pain, trying to cover their ears from the ear shattering, high-pitched alarm. Sarah-Jane, however, manages to shoot the man who set off the alarm, before pushing Ireen and Rose down the corridor. The alarm is still loud in the corridor, but not as painful as it is back in the boiler room. Aware that there are many Heat Miles workers running after them, they continue to run as fast as they can down the corridor. Despite the fact that this corridor seems cooler, sweat still pours down their faces.

Eventually they reach a large office where there are about ten workers, manically working at their computers. There are screens all over the walls, showing readings of their weapon: their beast.

And there it is. At the far end of the office, is a large door, leading into the cell. The cell door is completely barred off and locked with a million locks and keypad combinations.

"How are we to save him?" Rose asks just before someone grabs her from behind. Rose screams as she is suddenly pulled back but then manages to attack the man to free herself.

And the fight breaks out. They shoot in every direction, killing off the workers that come their way. They have no choice.

Suddenly Lucien runs towards them with fear and panic written across his face. He yanks Ireen's gun out of her hands and throws it away to the side.

"Stop, stop, STOP!" He yells. "He is trying to set off a bomb!"

Sarah-Jane, Rose and Ireen only look at Lucien, completely baffled. But then they notice the panicked voices in the office. Is Monroe building a bomb from inside his cell to escape? Has he really been overcome with madness?

"You do not understand the trouble this will cause if he gets out! He isn't supposed to be ready!"

Ireen grabs hold of Lucien's collar and bring him close to her so that they are face-to-face. "Why are you burning corpses? Who are those people?" She shouts at him.

Sarah-Jane watches one of the workers who is at the cell door, trying to increase the security on the cell.

But then there is a loud beep coming from the door.

And the bomb goes off before Sarah-Jane can cry for warning.

Everyone is thrown of their feet and fall down onto the cold stone flooring. The ringing in Sarah-Jane's, Ireen's and Rose's ears seem so familiar for this is not the first time they have been caught near an explosion.

Rose is the first to come to her senses. White smoke fills the air around her and she chokes. She weakly scrambles back onto her feet and makes her way towards the cell door, hoping that perhaps Monroe will emerge from the cell.

But he does not.

Rose tries her best to inhale as little of the smoke around her as she can, and she cannot seem to stop the flow of the tears pouring out of her eyes. Her knees tremble under her weight as she steps closer to the cell.

Sarah-Jane weakly calls her name from behind.

But Rose stares in shock horror at the body of one of the Heat Miles workers. Both his legs have been completely blown off and he is missing an arm. The man croaks for help as he tries to crawl his way across the office floor like some sort of alien mutant.

And that is when Rose sees the remains of the man's arm lying on the ground just below her feet.

There is no sign of Monroe for he has escaped.


	20. XIX - Five days ago

**XIX  
Five days ago**

_The Island  
__5 days earlier_

April wakes up with a start. She finds herself lying flat on her stomach in something that feels like damp grass. Then the smell of mud fills her nostrils and she knows that she is definitely lying on grass. The blades tickle her skin but she remains lying there, trying to figure out what has just happened.

Her memory is a little fuzzy, so it takes all of her might to remember how she got here.

Her brother, the Doctor, Rose and Terry suddenly turned against her. Well that is what it felt like at the time. But why? Terry drugged her with something but now she finds herself here.

April manages to turn over and lie on her back, but she feels exhausted from this one simple movement. She looks up at the dark, starry sky above her and all of a sudden, her headache returns: the same one she had when she first came to this Island. April rubs her eyes, trying to remember if anything was said to her before Max suddenly pulled her back.

_You can stop this from happening_. That was what Max said. It is the last thing she can remember before everything completely blacked out. But what did Max mean by that? She can stop what from happening exactly how? Once again April is left with some job to complete with very little information about what it is. Is there even anything that needs to be completed?

_What the fuck is going on?_ April silently screams as angry tears sting her eyes. What do they want her to do? Okay so everything on the Island is falling apart due to the arrivals of the aliens. Chaos has erupted everywhere, but why is she here? What was that bright green liquid Terry injected into her veins?

April clamps her hands over her eyes, stopping the angry, hot tears from pouring out. She remains there for a long time before she starts to hear something in the near distance. The sound of shouts and people fighting.

Removing her hands from her eyes, April lets out an audible groan and props herself up on her elbows. All she can see in the darkness is a stretch of grass all around her. The stars hang in the sky, yet there is no moon to light the ground below. Eventually her eyes adjust to the darkness and she can see outline shapes of pine trees somewhere in the distance. Pine trees that look just like the ones that make up the woods on this Island.

Suddenly, a cold hand grips onto April's arm and hauls her up on to her feet. April panics, but before she has the chance to scream, or save herself, the panic vanishes instantly, for it is only Jason there with her. He is trying to shush her, but April's emotions go from relief to panic exceedingly quickly. What happens if he is going to gag her and inject her again? Is she being deluded?

Jason does his best to shush April, as she panics. He eventually holds her in his arms. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just listen to me," he then holds her at arm length. "We need to find cover." He warns. His voice is not as light and cheerful as it always is, but low and stern.

April scowls harshly. "What is going on?"

Jason sighs. "I'll explain once we get cover. Just believe me when I say that we cannot be seen under any circumstances," he glances over April's shoulder and his eyes suddenly widen in horror. "Duck!"

Jason and April immediately fall down to the grass just as a bright green bullet flies over their heads and destroys a tree somewhere in the distance. That is when April can hear voices she recognises. Orders shouted by Aaron Brimikawood as he leads his team away from the Sontarans advancing on them.

April looks back and sees the shadows of Aaron, Martha, Alic, Rex, Sarah-Jane, Ireen and her father, Declan Hollerford. April looks at her parallel father in the distance shooting at the Sontarans, horror struck. She barely registers that Will is not there with them.

"April, we need to _move_!" Jason hisses.

April nods and scrambles to her feet. She follows Jason as they run further away from the fight behind them. They find a small area in the field around them that is filled with trees and bushes. It is a separate section away from the main woods. They weave in and out of the trees and Jason ducks behind a hedge. April does the same and for a few moments they crouch there breathing heavily, watching the fight through the hedge.

April remembers Aaron briefly mentioning a fight when they first arrived to the Island. But that happened days ago. Her mind suddenly clouds over with confusion, not wanting to admit the truth she already knows.

They both suddenly hold onto their breaths as two Sontarans step very close to the hedge they are hiding behind. It is lucky that they are completely shadowed in darkness from the trees, but April is seriously regretting the choice of wearing her bright red t-shirt. Not only is it the same top she wore in her nightmare, but it is also not the best form of camouflage. Jason gets away with it as UNIT's battle uniform is specifically tailored to be camouflaged with anything.

"There is no sign of the Time Lord," one of the Sontarans says to the other. "I cannot smell him. It is believed that if the Doctor is not here then the twins will not be here either."

The other Sontaran grumbles something incoherent as he removes his helmet, revealing his brown, egg-shaped head. "Then we are going to have to keep hidden until he comes. These peasants on this Island will only cause havoc. They are stupid and will probably cause a war if we show our faces. We'll just have to keep a low profile before the fight for the Cytracik starts."

"How long have we got till we can get it?"

The second Sontaran hesitates. "A little over a week. I think. Maybe two weeks. I'm not sure. But what does it matter? I will get my hands on that Cytracik before this battle is over!"

Feeling the pins and needles in her feet, April shuffles slightly only to coincidentally to step on a twig, making it snap beneath her.

"Shh!" The second Sontaran hisses and the two aliens stand there in silence, looking around their surroundings suspiciously. "Did you hear that?"

"I certainly heard something." The first Sontaran replies in a whisper.

"I bet it's one of those UNIT soldiers hiding from us," the Sontaran turns and suddenly yells. "Come on you lot! Show yourselves!"

Picking up the nearest stone he can find, Jason holds it firmly in his hand before throwing it to the Sontarans, hitting the first one on the back of its head.

"What was that?!" The Sontaran shouts, holding his gun at aim.

Picking up another stone, Jason throws it away from them, hearing the loud crack as it smacks against a tree trunk in the distance.

"After them!" The second Sontaran yells and the two aliens rush away, trying to follow the sound of the stone.

Jason and April remain crouching behind the bush, watching the two Sontarans running away through the trees in the darkness. They wait until the alien voices are far into the distance before they start moving away. They silently and swiftly make their way through the trees, getting further and further away from the aliens. When they are at a safe distance away from the Sontarans and the fight, Jason holds onto April's shoulders tightly and pushes her firmly against a tree trunk.

"What was the last thing that was said to you before you woke up here?" Jason snaps.

Completely taken back by Jason's sudden anger – something she has never seen in him before – April stumbles over her words in a panic. "I don't remember! We were trying to blend in the crowd before they turned against me!"

"They?"

"My brother..." April's voice quivers.

"What did they say, April?" Jason urges, squeezing her shoulders tighter.

"Jason, you're hurting me!"

"April, we have just over five days to sort this shit out, so stop being scared! I'm sorry I have to be blunt but with the amount of things you have been trusted to do again we have very little time."

April's scowl becomes harsher. "They said that they trust me to do this."

"Anything else?" Jason asks, raising his eyebrows.

"No." April replies curtly.

For a long moment Jason looks at April before his face softens. The anger that was in him seconds ago is now being released. Taking in a deep breath, Jason lets go of April and runs both his hands through his black, bouncy hair.

"The thing is," Jason says, sounding like he is out of breath. "We have been taken back in time five days."

April's scowl deepens.

"You only arrived here two days ago and we were already at this Island a week before you came," Jason breathes out heavily. "We have five days to calm everything down."

"Calm everything down to what?" April snaps.

"We are to make the citizens of this Island believe that the Day of Destruction is running perfectly as normal. We are to erase all fear of the aliens arriving. We have to keep things low. We have to keep the Battle of the Cytracik within that woods."

April stares at Jason. "So you and I have been taken back in time to try and keep the arrival of the aliens quiet from the citizens here and try to push everything to the woods?"

Jason looks thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "More or less."

April folds her arms and studies Jason for a little while longer. "They don't ask for much, do they?"

Jason laughs. "I volunteered to go back in time with you. Jack Gruntler advised that you have to be the one to stop this. The rest are still in the present moment doing their best, but it is down to us. To you, I guess. It is your nightmare."

"How about we volunteer for the Day of Destruction?" April suggests. "Rodger Barratt's party is yet to happen. We must have time to perhaps jump in on the band wagon. I could take Morgarn's place and you could take..." April pauses as she suddenly remembers the young man who died on the table in the barn.

Joshua is alive again. And they have the chance to save his life.

April looks down to the ground and nods her head in acceptance. The Doctor and the others are in the present moment trying to deal with the chaos on the Island. But it is up to them to stop that chaos from happening. And they only have five days to do it.

"Are you okay?" Jason asks softly, trying to look April in the eye but she keeps her focus down.

"I'm fine." April replies as she nods her head. However Jason knows that she does not mean it.

Sighing, Jason pulls April into an embrace. They stand there in the shadows of the trees, holding onto each other tightly. The leaves of the trees and the bushes rustle in the wind and the sound of the fight between UNIT and the Sontarans can be heard somewhere in the distance. Jason rocks her gently from side to side.

"I'm sorry. It's okay to not be okay," he whispers. "We can get through this."

"But where do we start?" April mumbles as she wriggles out of Jason's arms.

For a moment Jason looks thoughtful. "Well there's two options," he says, his voice slowly going back to its usual cheerful tone. "We could follow the guys or we could make our way to the festival."

"What did UNIT do with those aliens?"

"I'm not too sure," Jason says, frowning. "I would already be at the Lighthouse by now..." Jason hesitates for a moment, his frown becoming harsher. April recognises the twinkle in his eyes as he suddenly remembers something. "We'd better try to find the others."

Without another word, April starts to follow Jason as they crouch low to the ground, running through the shadows of the trees and the bushes. They run for a while and once they find themselves at the edge of the line of trees, Jason and April scan the area around them. Their eyes have adjusted quite a bit to the darkness, it is a lit easier for them to see their surroundings.

The coast seems clear.

On Jason's command, they start running silently across the field, following the sound of the fight between the Sontarans and the rest of UNIT.

The icy air around them bite at their cheeks as they run, but neither stop, wanting to get as close to UNIT as they can, but still not being seen.

But that is when they hear it. A loud howl. A howl from some very large dog somewhere in the distance. For a moment, April and Jason halt, standing to attention as they listen to the howling. At first there is one, but soon it is very clear that there is more that one wild animal out on this Island.

"I thought we are just fighting against aliens for the Cytracik." Jason says aloud as they stare ahead into the gloom before them.

"Well I suppose the people here have to source their food from somewhere." April mutters in response.

Suddenly they both jump in fright at the sound of rustling leaves behind them.

Jason takes hold of April's shoulders and starts pulling her away from the rustling leaves. "We'd better find cover. We can't afford to be caught."

With that April and Jason start to run across the field, jumping over a low wooden fence and into the next. The field slopes downwards over a small hill and down below, they can see the rest of UNIT fighting against the Sontarans. And for the first time since she's known them, UNIT looks the weaker side in the fight.

Then April's breath suddenly catches in her throat when she notices a dozen pairs of yellow eyes emerging from the darkness. Soon enough the bodies of large grey and some brown werewolves appear. Thinking more of her friend's safety, April makes a move to run towards them, but Jason grips onto her forearm tightly and pulls her down onto the grass.

"Jason, they're going to be ambushed by a gang of werewolves! You can't expect me to stay here and watch them attack my friends!" April shouts.

"Yes but we mustn't be seen! You've been time travelling with the Doctor. Surely you must know this?" When April does not give him a response other than narrowing her eyes, Jason pulls her along the outskirts of the field, still keeping an eye on the fight with the Sontarans. They hide behind a haystack and wait there for a moment. "April, remember that we have one shot to do this right. Do you remember that Sontaran saying that they know the Doctor and yourself haven't arrived here yet? At this precise moment, Aaron thinks the same thing. My past self is under cover in the Black Lighthouse, I can't just show myself up now. If you suddenly force yourself into that fight now, everyone will think you have lost your mind or something. And then the future will be worse than it already is. You know how serious time travel can be. Besides you know they all come out this this small fight alive. That's not changing unless you jumped in."

"But I don't get exactly what it is we are supposed to be stopping. How do we make the alien's arrival more subtle?" April hisses.

Jason shrugs. "Aaron told me that the attack was a rather vicious one from the werewolves. The littlest changes may help us," Jason glances sideways to April. "And there are other ways to help them other than showing your face."

"Okay, so at this point you are already in the Back Lighthouse while the other's are...?"

"Will is already off with the volunteers and the rest are slowly trying to make their way to Heat Miles. I guess between now and then we have to volunteer for the Day of Destruction and help UNIT as and when we can."

April sighs. "You still want to be part of the Day of Destruction?"

Jason looks to April for a moment. "As long as you are happy to."

April rises up on her knees and peers over the haystack just in time to see Alic being the first to notice the werewolves.

"What in hell's name are those?" One of the Sontarans shouts.

One of the werewolves in the middle of the group throws its head backwards and lets out a loud howl. Then they start charging towards the fight.

"Stop them," April says sternly, panic rising inside her. "Jason, they can't do this."

"What do you expect me to do? I have a gun but that'll just blow our cover."

"How many weapons have you got?" April asks.

Jason hesitates. "Another gun for you and a knife each."

"That'll do."

Without further ado, April cups her hands around her mouth and howls loudly. Her voice echoes across the field, silencing everyone.

"April what are you doing?!" Jason hisses as he pulls her down.

"Saving their lives, that's what!" April howls one more time before peering over the top of the haystack. All wolves stand to attention, their ears peer backwards as they look directly in their direction. UNIT and the Sontarans look around their surroundings as if preparing for more werewolves to come their way.

Suddenly the pack leader starts running in April's and Jason's direction and the rest follow, ignoring UNIT completely. Panicking, Jason grabs onto April's shoulder and pulls her backwards.

"Great now we're going to be their dinner." Jason splutters, stumbling over his words.

"Yeah I guess that was the plan. Give me my gun."

Jason does so, pulling out their weapons from his belt and passing April's to her.

"Now run!" April snaps and they both start running just as one of the werewolves jumps over the haystack. April and Jason sprint as fast as they can across the field with the werewolves hot on their heels. It isn't until April knows that they are completely out of eyeshot from UNIT and the Sontarans that she turns and shoots the wolf behind her, seconds before it can snap its jaw around her legs.

The wolf falls backwards as the bullets to the gun hits its shoulder. April pauses for a moment, watching the way the wolf stands there, lowing its head as if bowing. But then April notices the way the wounds on its shoulder suddenly heals. And she quickly realises that these are no ordinary werewolves. These werewolves have been created by Heat Miles.

April stumbles over her feet as she walks backwards, her gun in one hand and the knife in the other. She watches the werewolf fix itself.

The wolf shudders, as if shaking a spider out of its fur, before it's yellow eyes locks onto April's. The wolf snarls before leaping its way straight to April.

April lets out a scream and in a panic, shoots sporadically at the wolf. To her luck, the first bullet strikes the wolf directly in its heart and with a yelp, the wolf falls to the grass and dies within seconds. For a moment the dead body of the wolf remains there but soon enough it starts to disintegrate. It disintegrates just the way planet Zorlorn did when they were first taken to the Dalek spaceship, slowly and then all at once. Soon enough there is no trace of the wolf. No dent in the grass or splatter of blood. It is as if it was never there in the first place.

April looks over to Jason who is fighting off two wolfs. She shoots one, letting it fall back and halt to wait for its wounds to recover.

"Jason they're not real werewolves. They're Heat Miles mutations. We need to keep running!" April shouts.

Jason kicks the other wolf away from him and they start running in no particular direction. But they just run. They run through field after field, clambering over wooden fences that the wolves easily jump over without any hassle.

April's throat burns as the cold enters her body but she pushes on. She is not going to let this mission fail because of some man-made pack of wolves.

Soon in the distance, April can see the appearance of hundreds of pine trees creating a large woods, perhaps a forest. To the right of the woods is a long wooden fence and through the darkness, she can see the shapes of all the stalls from the festival.

They are approaching the out-of-bounds woods.

April picks up her speed and so does Jason, wanting to get closer and closer to the festival.

The shadows of the stalls loom over them like giants, and the silence of this area sends chills down April's spine. But soon her legs can no longer carry her and before she knows it, her knees buckle under her and she falls down to the ground, just before they reach the woods.

"April, come on!" Jason breathes heavily as he helps April back up onto her feet.

But soon their attention is quickly drawn to the wolves who are no longer chasing after them. The wolves whine as they look longingly at the woods behind April and Jason, and they back away. Then the wolf pack leader starts to run back in the direction they have just come from.

For a long moment, Jason and April stare after the wolves in shock. So even the man-made animals here aren't even allowed entrance to the woods.

"I'm guessing that's the out-of-bounds woods behind us then?" Jason asks, still breathing heavily.

April nods in response.

"Think we should check it out." Jason turns away and heads towards the woods.

For a moment, April rests her hands on her knees and she tries to control her breathing. But then that is when she hears it. The buzzing sound of the forcefield around the woods. And Jason is unaware.

"No wait, Jason, don't!" April screams.

There is a sudden electrical charge that runs over the whole dome-shaped forcefield around the woods, just as Jason makes contact.

It is the last thing April remembers before the weight of Jason's body is thrown on top of her.


	21. XX - Chasers and scavengers

**XX  
Chasers and scavengers**

_The Island  
__Outside the festival  
__4 Days earlier_

April wakes up with a start, and the first thing she notices are the light grey clouds hanging in the sky. It is daylight and the last thing April can remember is running away from the wolves that were chasing them. But it was dark then. And now it is daylight.

But then April suddenly remembers. Jason smacked straight into the forcefield around the woods.

In a panic, April calls out Jason's name, yet her throat is so dry, her voice is completely inaudible. April rolls over onto her front, feeling mud and bits of grass sticking in her hair. As she rolls, she finds Jason lying in a crumpled heap in the grass not too far from where she is.

Ignoring the ringing in her ears, April hauls herself onto her knees and desperately scrambles over to an unconscious Jason. When she reaches him, she calls out his name once more, her voice croaking with fear. She tugs at his shoulder, rolling him over onto his back.

But to her relief, Jason is already awake. His eyes squint in the brightness of the sky. Jason's eyes flicker over to April whose face immediately relaxes with relief. Jason groans.

"Why does it feel like I decided to start drinking wine after beer last night?" Jason asks rhetorically as he shields his eyes from the brightness of the sky. "My head is killing me."

April suddenly finds herself laughing slightly, letting go of the panic she had seconds earlier. "There's a forcefield around the woods."

Jason pauses for a moment. "Yeah, I knew that."

April helps Jason and herself get on their feet. They both groan in pain, their muscles aching from the running and the blow of the forcefield. Jason brushes off bits of grass from his clothes before looking over towards the festival. Then he suddenly tenses.

"Shit." He mutters.

April looks over to the festival and then feels the same exasperation Jason feels.

"How many hours have we lost?" Jason queries as he fiddles with his wrist watch. The face is cracked and somewhat unreadable. April notices this too. However she does not mention that the face is cracked exactly the same way the clocks back in Manchester were.

"Probably a few hours," April says, diverting her attention away from Jason's watch. "They haven't opened the festival yet so it must be no later than seven or eight in the morning perhaps." Yet as she speaks, her mind continuously flitters over to Jason's watch. How can the crack in the face be identical to the mantle clock back in Max's house in Manchester 1775? She suddenly remembers seeing the weeping angel back at the Black Lighthouse. April's scowl becomes deeper as she thinks about this, but when she catches Jason watching her with a raised eyebrow, she shakes her head. "You need a new watch."

With that she turns and starts walking over towards the wooden fence that runs around the outside of the festival. Without another word, Jason follows her. They walk along the fence for a short while, but as soon as the entrance to the festival comes into view, Jason and April immediately drop to the ground.

Around the entrance stands around a dozen shape shifters. A few look like they are deep in conversation and others stand there, completely motionless.

"Jason, how long have we got left?" April asks in the low whisper.

Jason looks pensive for a moment. "Four days I believe," he pauses. "Yeah we've got about four days until you and I meet in the Black Lighthouse."

"So it's another two days until the Doctor and myself show up here?"

Jason shrugs. "Something like that."

April nods and looks back over to the shape shifters. She then nudges Jason to start crawling back the way they came. Jason does so and once they are safely hidden behind a few stalls, they quickly scramble over the fence, passing through the forcefield.

When they both land quietly on the other side of the grass, they can hear the buzz from the forcefield around the festival. Jason frowns as he notices the slight shimmer in the air just above the fence.

"So they allow intruders into this area but you cannot escape." Jason mutters under his breath. "Strange."

Jason and April slowly weave their way in and out and around the stalls, careful not to be caught. They make their way towards the woods. Every so often, they have to crouch down behind one of the stalls as they let some shape shifters, or Heat Miles workers, wearing bright purple jackets pass by. They eventually find themselves around the back of the main stage in the centre of the festival. And that is where they find an entrance into the woods. For a short while they stay hidden in the shadows of the large stage as they catch their breaths.

The fence curves around to create a separate circle in the space between the woods and the edge of the festival. There are two gates that need to be passed through to even get to the woods. But standing in between the two fences is a man pacing up and down. Just from the look of this man's appearance, it is clear he is not from Heat Miles. He does not have the stern look across his face, nor does he have the stocky build most of the workers have. This man however has limbs that look too long for his body, and brown hair, peppered with grey, that swishes over to one side. April wonders if this man must be a villager being paid to work at the festival, just like the hosts of this festival and the stall owners are.

Making sure that there are no shape shifters around, April steps out of the shadows and starts marching towards the gates to the woods. For a brief second, Jason hesitates as he looks after April, his eyes wide.

"What are you doing?" He hisses after her, but April keeps walking on. Once Jason sees the man by the gates notice April, he runs after her, swearing under his breath as he does so.

The man looks at April and his thick, bushy eyebrows knit together. "Who are you?" He demands with a strong cockney accent.

"We need to get into the woods immediately." April says without hesitation.

The man looks from April and then to Jason who appears from behind her. "From what orders? Who are you?"

"Heat Miles." April's voice is confident, but she speaks a little too quick. She fumbles in her pockets and pulls out the Doctor's psychic paper before pushing it into the man's hands, fully aware that using it didn't work before but still hoping for the best. "We're on duty for the Day of Destruction. It is our job to check on the woods."

The man looks down at the psychic paper for a while, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. April nervously clenches her fists. Surely the psychic paper can work for her this time. This man is a normal villager not a member of Heat Miles.

"I'm afraid, Ms Robinson, that I'll have to call security down to confirm this. I don't believe this." The man says, passing April back the psychic paper.

"You don't have to do that." April suddenly splutters in a panic.

The man stops and stares at April and Jason suspiciously before standing up straighter. "I really think you two should leave now."

"You don't understand. Havoc is going to erupt on this Island and neither of us have the time to waste. Just let us through and we'll be gone. Please!"

"Just go back to the village and come back when the Day of Destruction begins."

"April." Jason warns under his breath.

"I'm not asking much," April hisses through gritted teeth. "Just let us through."

The man sighs heavily. "I'm sorry but the woods are closed to all villagers. It is under strict orders. You should know that by now."

April turns to look at Jason who shrugs.

"Just go back to the village or I'll call Heat Miles."

April continues to stare at Jason as she holds onto her breath. She is not going to let this go. They have a short time limit to get this job done – whatever it is – and they can't afford to lose any more time.

A sudden rush of anger hits April and she sharply turns back to the man. She takes hold of the collar to his coat and roughly pushes him backwards, holding him firmly against the wooden fence.

"I am _through_ with being told what to do, God dammit, now let us in!" She shouts.

The man, frightened at April's sudden anger, stares at her, stunned. "Alright!" The man whimpers, trying to push April away. "Let go and you can go."

The anger in April's face suddenly switches to fear very quickly as she immediately releases the man. He stares at her as if she is crazy, before unlocking the gates.

"Thank you." April snaps, pretending to be confident.

"For both our sakes, I will keep quiet about this," the man snarls. "I don't fancy losing my tongue because of you two crazy people."

April says nothing as she charges through the fence and towards the woods. Jason silently follows. They notice the way the air changes as they pass through the fence. The air seems colder, icier, yet there is no wind.

Jason waits until there is some distance between them and the man before he speaks. "You okay?" He asks as he glances at April's pale face and her clenched fists. "Never seen you that angry before..."

Jason stops speaking when April turns to hide behind a tree. With one hand laying flat on the trunk of the tree, she bends over and suddenly retches onto the muddy, leaf covered ground below her feet. Her throat burns violently as she is sick, the anxiety, the pain and the anger that has been building up inside her finally being released.

Jason says nothing and doesn't even hesitate before he pulls her hair back from her face and gently rubs her back. They remain there for a while in silence and April spits out the last of the bile in her mouth. She then hastily wipes her mouth with the back of her hands and stands up straighter, but suddenly finds herself shivering.

"It's alright. You're okay, buttercup," Jason says softly as he holds onto April. He pulls her away from the tree to another where they sit down at the base of the trunk. They sit there in silence for a little while longer. A cool breeze rustles the leaves around them, making them dance in the air as they fly past. April and Jason are aware that for the time being, they are locked in these woods, completely covered over by the forcefield. April is surprised at how easy it was to force that man to allow them into the woods. But now they are here, they are completely shut off from the world of the Island outside of the woods.

And April never thought she would feel peaceful here in the woods.

"Rodger Barratt has to pay for what he's done." April says quietly after sitting by the tree in silence for what feels like a long while.

Jason looks at April, trying to read the expression on her face, but she just scowls. "Everyone has to pay for what they have done at some point in their lives."

"He is the reason why I'm afraid to sleep. He's the reason why we're here to fight this battle. He created a power device he cannot even control himself. And he has to pay for all the damage he has caused."

"And how are you going to make that happen? If the Daleks open the Cytracik like it is said, they will then..."

"Then this Battle is not going to end." April finishes off for him. "We have to destroy the Cytracik one way or another. And a way to do that is to destroy the one who started this."

Before Jason has the chance to respond to April, they both suddenly jolt in fright at a dull thud from somewhere in the distance. It is as if something heavy has been dropped on the ground, yet it does not cause a stir in the ground.

Another breeze blows past them, only this time a little colder and harsher. April and Jason scramble back onto their feet and look over into the direction where the loud thump came from.

And then there is another.

When the second thump happens, all at once the birds flee from the trees. They flap their wings in a panic as they push themselves off the branches and into the sky. April and Jason look through the gaps in the leaves above them, listening to the hundreds of birds fleeing the woods. They then look at each other. They notice the way each other's shoulders rise and fall as they catch their breaths from the fright. Jason breathes in and out heavily. He looks down at the leaves on the ground as he holds both of April's arms. They remain like this for a moment before they are interrupted by another sound.

Twigs on the ground snap under feet and leaves rustle. It is a sound that Jason can recognise from a mile off. The sound of someone – or a group of people – creeping their way under cover, trying their best to be as silent as they can possibly be, as they try to sneak up behind their prey. However, whatever is creeping closer to them is no tiger prowling. Jason knows an amateur when he hears one.

"April," Jason says through gritted teeth. "Get out your gun."

April says nothing but does what she is told. She slowly reaches for her belt and pulls out her gun. She makes a move to say something but Jason quietly shushes her. He looks just over he head into the trees behind her. Instantly he can spot the shadows hiding behind three trunks and bushes.

"Look behind me." Jason says through gritted teeth.

April glances over his shoulder and after a moment, she sees a flicker on movement in the bushes. They are currently surrounded by something in the woods, whether it be aliens or a trap for the Day of Destruction, neither Jason nor April are so sure. But from the occasional glisten in the light, they know that they are armed.

April and Jason stand very close to each other as they try to keep their breathing as quiet as possible.

"I'm going to count to three," Jason whispers with his eyes closed. "And we're going to do something."

"Like what?" April whispers back.

"Something. Shoot back, I don't know. But let's just outrun them. We're good at that."

"Fantastic plan." April mutters and Jason smirks at the sarcasm in her voice.

"Okay, ready in one, two...THREE!"

Instantly around half a dozen tall and skinny men dressed in grey rags jump out from behind the trees and shoot at April and Jason before they have the chance. Immediately they duck down to the ground, just missing the fire from the men's guns.

"Go!" Jason shouts at April and they start to run.

Jason and April run through the woods as fast as they can, running further and further away from where they were before, heading further and further away from where the festival is. The men in the grey rags chase after them. They occasionally shoot in their direction, but Jason and April only turn to quickly shoot the chasers down. Not to kill them, but to slow them down by shooting them in the leg or foot.

They run further into the woods and for some odd reason, all April can think about is wondering how big these woods are. Are they bigger inside than they seem on the outside, like the Tardis?

Eventually, when there is enough distance between Jason and April and the chasers, Jason stops at the bottom of a tree.

"Come on, I'll give you a heads up." Jason says, glancing over at the shadows, but fully aware of the sound of stamping feet in the leaves, running in their direction. Without a second thought, April takes Jason's offered arm and starts to climb the tree. Jason follows.

April does not take much into consideration about how high they may be – all she wants is to be well hidden from these chasers. She hauls herself up and gets herself onto a long, thick branch protruding from the tree trunk. She helps Jason onto the branch and they stay there, hidden in the leaves of the trees.

The chasers run past their tree, shouting at each other to where April and Jason may have gone. Or the scavengers, as they are now named.

April cranes her neck and peers through the leaves of the trees. The chasers seem to have stopped running, now aware that they have lost each other. April then catches Jason's eye. He frowns before looking down at the three chasers who stop just below their tree. April and Jason exchange another silent glance.

"We lost 'em." One of the chasers states the obvious before spitting to the ground.

"Little runts," another sneers. "We almost 'ad 'em. That fucking geezer and that bird. Those scavengers. The fuck did they go?" He then suddenly shouts which makes April and Jason cling onto the branch tightly. "Show ya faces you scavengers!"

"What did Rodger Barratt say?" The first says. He looks around their surroundings as if scared that something is going to appear from around the trees.

"He ain't gonna show his face 'ere any time soon."

"Yeah but we're gonna be well done in for if he finds out we lost some nutters in the woods. It's outta' bounds."

"Yeah _if_ he finds out. And he ain't gonna!"

There is a moment of silence between the chasers as they look around the trees. Jason is well aware of the pins and needles building up in his right leg, but he continues to curiously watch the chaser who seems to hover near their tree. The one who shouted aloud and who seems somewhat agitated.

"Mate, we're wastin' our time," the third chaser says, his voice almost bored. "Look, all we gotta do is kill that geezer and then our job is done."

The one standing just beneath them, looks at the third chaser sharply. "We're 'ere to kill the one 'o knows all. How fuckin' easy do ya think that's gonna be?"

For a split moment, April feels her heart leap up into her throat. The very thought of a group of men being under Rodger Barratt's orders to kill Jack Gruntler terrifies her. Even if they succeed their current job, they're still going to have to save Jack's life. And April can't even begin to imagine what it will be like if anyone gets close to killing Jack Gruntler.

April clenches her fists tightly as she stops listening to the chasers down below. She takes a look around the tree they're hiding in and the trees around her, wondering how she and Jason are going to escape, unless the chasers leave this area. However, April can only imagine what else is going to be hiding in these woods in preparation for the Day of Destruction.

But that is when April sees it.

Glowing in the light that shines through the leaves, April can see a stopwatch. A stopwatch where the time is on pause. But in moments like this, April suddenly feels like she knows Rodger Barratt way more than she originally thought, and that he can be predictable at the best of times. Unless that is purposeful or if he really thinks that no one is as smart as him – she doesn't know. But it doesn't take an idiot to recognise a bomb. It is a trap saved for the Day of Destruction.

April thinks back to the day she first met Ellis Lustworve – which in the present moment is going to happen in a couple of days. Ellis explained to her all about the Day of Destruction. And that is when she remembers Ellis saying how many volunteer's are purposefully killed during the race and being made to look like their death was an act of heroism.

If there is one bomb trap here, then there must be more around the woods.

However this one has a stopwatch. So surely something must be done in order for it to go off. April clenches her fist over her gun and decides to do the one thing that comes to mind.

Jason sees the mischievous look on April's face and she draws out her gun and aims it to the bomb in the tree.

"You are insane." He mutters seconds before April pulls the trigger.

The bullet hits the bomb which immediately sets off the timer, only giving them thirty seconds.

"The fuck was that?" The third chaser exclaims, but without further ado, Jason shoots him in the leg, knocking him down to the ground.

April and Jason do not hesitate before scrambling down the tree and running as fast as they can in thirty seconds. Yet they only manage to pass a few rows of trees with more chasers behind them before the timers reaches the end.

At first there is a sudden wave of hot air. And that's when the fire starts to spread.


	22. XXI - The first trigger

**XXI  
The first trigger**

_The Island  
__The Woods  
__3 days and 8 hours earlier  
__1600 hours_

The fire starts at the top of one tree, burning its leaves, before rapidly spreading downwards and across to the neighbouring trees. For a split moment, April is thankful that it is not a bomb she has set off, as she and Jason stand there staring at the spreading fire, almost stunned as to what to do.

Both April and Jason remain rooted to the spot, seeming somewhat stunned at the sight of all this fire. They know that the most sensible thing will be to do is to run away from the scene and hope that the fire will only spread so far in the woods. But another thought lingers in both their minds. They have just set off a trap that is meant to be used for the Day of Destruction. They have definitely raised the flag in letting Heat Miles know that they are here.

However it isn't until one of the chasers emerges from the trees that makes April and Jason desperately run away. Especially now that the fire is only getting worse and stronger. The chaser is then followed by a few others who are panicked by the fire. But the one who Jason felt rather suspicious of, looks more concerned about April and Jason rather than the fire that is spreading rapidly.

Jason pushes April and they start to run at a panic, trying to get as far away from the fire. April tries not to think too much about the amount of times she has been running from something these past twenty-four hours, as she attempts to not trip over any of the roots.

The fire, however, seems to spread faster, the heat hot on their tails. Soon enough screams can be heard not far behind as chasers get caught in the fire.

April dares to turn back to see the manic fire burning down the trees. The smoke is so heavy her eyes start to water. And despite this being man-made fire, the burning sensation in her throat seems ever so real.

Jason starts to splutter with coughs as the thick, black smoke catches up with them. April does her best to push Jason forward, knowing that they have to get away from this scene as quickly as possible. If anything – she refuses to have anything made from Heat Miles be the death of her.

April and Jason start to become ever so weak the more they inhale the smoke which has now completely overcome them. They both try their best to help each other, but their mouths are parched. April takes one last glance backwards and instantly sees one last chaser appear from the smoke. He limps; his right leg badly burnt, but he holds something sharp and heavy in his hand.

April, suddenly afraid of this chaser, uses all her might she has left to push Jason forward, desperate to get away from the chaser. However, she shoves him harder than she expected. Jason's knees buckle under his weight as he falls. He disappears in the smoke beneath her and there is a horrible crack of a bone breaking as Jason hits the ground. Jason cries out in agony just as April's knees also give in. She falls heavily onto the ground just as the fire catches up with the last chaser. His shattering screams rings in April's ears as he is engulfed by the flames.

Hearing Jason's painful cries next to her, April rolls onto her back and takes her hand in his, who is shaking vigorously. Then she looks through the black smoke at the fire in the near distance, licking the trees only meters away from them. She has to get up, she has to help Jason to move on, but she is too weak to move. Instead she remains lying there watching the flames.

The minutes that pass seem like hours to both April and Jason as they lay there. They expect the heat to become increasingly worse as the fire comes closer.

But it never does.

The fire continues to burn where the last chaser was. But eventually the flames die down. And before they know it, the flames have completely evaporated, only leaving scorch marks all over the trees and the leaves underneath them.

April looks at the black, charcoaled area in the woods where the fire was only seconds ago. But now the smoke rises in the air, leaving a thin white mist in the air around them. The ground they are now lying on is completely clean of fire and there is a perfect divide between this area of the woods and the newly burnt part of the woods. Maybe the trap was only meant to go so far.

April remains lying on her back as she closes her eyes, aware of how quiet Jason is. Yet she keeps her eyes closed as she breathes in and out deeply, hoping that the air is clean. But there is a constant burning sensation in her throat which does not seem to be going away. It seems as if it is only getting worse the more she breathes.

The next thing she is aware of is a sound in the distance. At first it is quiet and somewhere in the distance. But seconds later, the sound is around them within the trees, almost deafening. The sound repeats itself over and over again. The familiar warning sound April remembers hearing when she fell through the dustbin into the wartime London.

April's eyes flicker open as the air raid rings out around them, a warning call to everyone. Chills run down April's spine as she frantically rolls over and scrambles to her feet.

And that is when she notices Jason lying on his front, his left shoulder sitting in a strange angle, dislocated out of place. Jason looks up at her with his eyes and opens his mouth to speak but he only groans in pain.

"Fuck!" April gasps, revolted at the sight of Jason's dislocated shoulder.

The air raid only gets increasingly louder, echoing across the whole Island. And it can only mean one thing: they are about to be ambushed. April crouches down to Jason's right side and flings his arm over her shoulders, helping him onto his feet.

The trees start to blow in a sudden gust of wind and the leaves dance around their feet as something in the air above them hums. April struggles to carry Jason away from the scene as quickly as she can. But Jason is in so much pain he can barely stay conscious.

April finds herself crying as she drags Jason through the woods, but the burnt trees from the fire are still not too far behind them. In April's ears, the air raid only means death and coming from this Island, she knows that something is going to be after them.

"Please, Jay, you have to help me!" April cries over the siren.

Then, feeling weak from the fire and the running, April's knees buckle under her own and Jason's weight as they fall to the ground. Jason yelps in pain and grips onto his arm. For a moment they lay there, too weak to move just as a hovercraft flies over them.

The ground underneath them vibrates as the hovercraft lightly brushes the tops of the trees. April can hear it slow down and knows that it must be hovering over where the fire was.

April lifts her head, feeling the muscles in her neck tremble as she does so. She then notices a dip in the ground, almost right under her nose. Just from the sound of the hovercraft, April can guess that the hovercraft is trying to land in the open. Probably Heat Miles workers will come off and if they are seen they'll no doubt be killed.

The dip in the ground goes low enough just for them to take cover.

The siren eventually drowns out until it is no longer ringing. April reaches for Jason and starts rolling him over. He groans in pain as he rolls over his dislocated shoulder, but luckily his groans are faded away from the buzz of the hovercraft.

"I'm sorry." April whispers every time Jason groans painfully. But soon April gives him one last push and he slides down the dip. When she hears him slide to a halt, April glances over her shoulder and sees the hovercraft sat in the open in the woods, just next to the burnt trees. Then without any hesitation, April slides forward on her front and topples down the dip. She halts by Jason's side and for a moment they lie there.

"My fucking shoulder." Jason puffs through gritted teeth.

"I know," April replies as she exhales. "Just hang in there, okay." With that April starts to climb back up the dip. When she reaches the top, she peers over the edge, looking over to where the hovercraft is. However seeing a large group of shape shifters in their blue and white fencing suits pace around the space, examining the burnt trees, is something April didn't expect to see.

The shape shifters speak to each other in low, gruff voices, trying to distinguish how the timer was triggered. They scan the burnt trees with mini handheld scanning devices.

April cranes her neck to try and listen to what they are saying, but their voices are so strange and inhuman, it is hard to distinguish everything that is being said. She manages to catch the odd word or phrase here and there, but there are moments where it sounds like they are talking in a different language, almost as if they are fluctuating between speaking English and something incoherent. Surely the Tardis is supposed to translate everything into English?

Yet what catches April's attention the most is the mention of the trap which triggers the fire. The trap is placed there every year for the Day of Destruction. There is supposed to be a tripwire around that area where the timer is, and every year a volunteer always falls for the trap. They end up tripping over the wire during the race and inevitably burn to death in the spreading fire. Just like the catchers.

But April listens to the angry voices of the shape shifters as they talk about this trap. The timer was set off to cause the fire but the tripwire has been unharmed.

A shape shifter appears through the trees and holds up the damaged timer. Damaged because April shot it. And so damaged that it cannot be used again.

This enrages all shape shifters. They are a trap down for the Day of Destruction.

But because the fire started because of the timer being damaged and not from the tripwire, they know that there is someone, or something here unannounced.

With that the shape shifters start to speak angry incoherent words to each other before they disappear back into the hovercraft. The wind blows in April's direction as the hovercraft pushes away from the ground and disappears into the dark sky above them. But as the hovercraft flies away, the scorch marks on the trees and leaves slowly disappear.

Minutes later as the woods are back to normal as if the fire never happened.

And then there is silence, except from the quiet rustle of leaves in the breeze. April looks up at the starry sky above them. They are another day down to complete this mission.

April releases her grip from the edge of the dip and slides down again where she joins Jason again, who is slowly gaining more and more consciousness. Knowing that they are now completely alone, she isn't afraid to speak aloud.

"Jason, you have to let me help you," she says as she lightly touches his back. "I need to fix you."

Jason splutters a few angry swear words, almost objecting her from doing anything, but April only rolls her eyes.

"Jason, I may not be a qualified UNIT solder like you are, but I did pass my training with flying colours. Please just let me help you!"

Jason looks at April for a moment and then relaxes, the anger and frustration in his eyes vanishing.

April tries to drag Jason over to the bottom of the dip as carefully as she can. Jason makes no sound, but the pain is evident across his face as he squeezes his eyes shut and bites down hard on his bottom lip. April eventually manages to prop his back up against the dip.

Sweat pours down Jason's face as he stares at her.

"Just get it over with." He growls.

This angry side of Jason scares April. A side she has never seen until they started this mission. April realises how much pain he is in right now but she desperately wants the happy Jason back.

April kneels down by Jason's side and looks at his left shoulder. It is very lucky that she was taught how to handle injuries like this while training with UNIT. But never did April think that she would be in the position she is in now.

April reaches out for Jason's dislocated shoulder with shaking hands and feels around where the socket it. She can see the way Jason winces in pain as she feels around. But eventually April finds the ball and socket to his shoulder.

Jason sucks in a sharp breath. "Just do it." He hisses.

April takes in a slow and steady breath before she tugs at his shoulder. There is a dull thump followed by Jason's scream in agony. But the job is done. His shoulder is no longer dislocated, but whether or not she has done it safely or correctly, she does not know. She needs her brother or Martha to help her.

Jason eventually stops screaming and looks over to his left shoulder. His whole arm shakes vigorously.

"Times like this when you really need Martha," April says, trying to keep her voice light, but Jason doesn't respond. "We have to stay here for the night. You need to rest your shoulder."

"I can't fucking move my arm." Jason snaps as he still stares down at his shaking, limp arm.

April flinches slightly at his anger. "I'm sorry for failing you."

Jason hesitates briefly. "Don't be fucking stupid."

April has already lost count over the amount of times he has sworn, but realises that he must do this often when he is angry. Martha is no doubt used to it.

"Here," April says as she scoots over to Jason's right side and sits with her back up against the dip and her legs stretched out in front of her. "Lie down."

Jason is silent but does as he is told. He lies down on his right side and rests his head in April's lap. There April gently massages his arms muscles, trying to bring back his senses.

"What are we going to do now?" Jason asks, calmer.

"Make sure your shoulder recovers." April replies softly.

"No, _what_ are we going to do?"

April pauses momentarily. "I'll think of something. Just go to sleep. I'll keep watch."

At first Jason is hesitant but eventually he cannot keep is eyes open for much longer and soon enough, his eyes flutter shut.

April breathes out heavily as she looks at the dark trees in front of her. At first she starts to think about how she managed to destroy a trap for the Day of Destruction and how she could try and destroy any other traps in these woods.

Suddenly her thoughts are interrupted as there is a burning pain in her head, right across her forehead. April's ears start to ring, slightly deafened from the air raid siren. The pain in April's head is almost unbearable, but so similar to the pain she feels in her chest after waking up from her nightmare.

But soon the view of the dark woods around her vanishes and Rodger Barratt comes into view.

Rodger Barratt is sat behind a desk in his office with plenty of shape shifters standing around him. Rodger Barratt is speaking into a microphone which is being broadcast everywhere across the Island.

He mentions that the fire in the woods was only an accident. But the next words sends chills right through April.

"The intruders have already arrived to this Island. The Doctor is here. Please take precaution."

The Doctor's and her own arrival has been announced twenty-four hours before they actually do. And April knows that she has just brought this on herself.

For she may have just changed the future for the worst.


	23. XXII - Becoming a volunteer

**XXII  
Becoming a volunteer**

_The Island  
__The Woods  
__2 days earlier  
__0530_

The first thing that comes to April's mind when the first break of dawn shines through the gaps in the trees, is that it is the day that the Doctor and herself arrive on this Island. And what has she done so far to complete the job? She's disengaged one trap in the woods and have announced her own arrival way before she is due to land.

There is a light breeze around her but the air doesn't feel much different to how it was yesterday. She still feels completely secluded from the rest of the Island, but perhaps it is better that way for the time being.

She glances down at Jason who is still sleeping somewhat peacefully, his head resting in her lap. With his face turned away from her, April cannot tell if his sleep has been peaceful, or if he has been overcome with the pain of his dislocated shoulder. April then guiltily looks over to his shoulder, which under his UNIT uniform looks normal. But no doubt his skin is purple with bruises.

A bird cackles above April's head and she looks up, trying to find it amongst the trees. She scans the green leaves above her, looking for where the cackle is coming from. But then she sees a solo magpie perched on a think branch jutting out the trunk of a tree to her right.

April stares at the magpie for a while, watching the way it cocks its head to the side every so often. She cannot shake off the feeling that the magpie is watching her through its glassy eyes as it calls out again and again. Magpies usually call out in this way to their mate, but in this case, April isn't so sure. There doesn't seem to be any other magpies around.

She gently nudges Jason awake.

"Wake up." She whispers as she tries to push him off her lap.

Jason only groans in response.

"Jay, please wake up." April whispers more urgently as she glances over to the magpie who is watching her every move from the branch.

Jason eventually comes round and allows April to sit him up, being careful of his left shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Jason asks, still half asleep, as he rubs his eyes.

"We're being watched. I think it's time to move on."

Jason yawns. "Can't we wait until daylight?"

April hesitates for a moment as she stares at Jason, slightly dumbfounded. Is Jason like this every morning? Is this what Martha puts up with? Surely informing him that they are being watched should be enough of a warning in itself?

"Perhaps if you want to be killed." April responds dully.

Then the magpie calls out one more time and Jason is suddenly awake and on high alert. He looks up and sees the magpie sitting on a branch staring directly at him.

"Oh." Jason says, suddenly realising what she means.

"Yeah, _oh_." April folds her arms and also looks over to the magpie.

"Don't make any sudden movement or it might try to eat you." Jason cannot suppress a grin as he says this sarcastically.

April says nothing in response but takes hold of Jason's right arm and they slowly rise to their feet, not taking their eyes off the magpie. The magpie remains standing on the branch staring at them. It still cocks its head to the side every so often.

When they are up on their feet, April glances to their left and tries to quickly find an escape route through the trees. But it is still early in the morning and it still isn't light enough to see everything around them.

"Okay. So let's just start to-" April stops immediately when the magpie cries out. A warning. Not like its usual call. Then the magpie pushes itself off the branch and flies away, flapping its wings as it does so. And the moment the magpie disappears into the trees elsewhere, the breeze suddenly builds up so that there is a heavy gust of wind. Then there is the familiar dull hum of a shape shifter hovercraft flying overhead.

Without another word Jason and April start to run away from the dip and try to find cover. They run quickly as the hum of the hovercraft gets closer and louder. Eventually they both hide in the nearest bush they can find, hoping that the leaves will be sufficient cover.

They look up at the sky and see a large grey hovercraft slowly flying right over their heads, brushing the tops of the trees, making the occasional branch fall down. April and Jason remain silent as they watch the hovercraft, expecting something to happen. They expect it to land in the woods and for an army of shape shifters to come out and start searching for them. Or for there to be some sort of ambush. But so far none of that happens. The hovercraft keeps flying over their heads and does not stop. Nor does it drop anything on them.

April cannot make head or tail where north and south is, so she cannot know where the hovercraft might be flying to. However as she looks through the trees in the direction the hovercraft is going, she sees something in the far distance. Something that can pass as some sort of factory.

April gently taps Jason on the arm and points over to the factory lookalike building in the distance. It takes Jason a moment to notice it before he nods. He glances one last time up at the hovercraft which has now completely flown over their heads and continues to fly in the direction of the factory.

"I guess we have no time to lose." He mutters to April before making his way out of the bush. He stands up and quickly takes cover behind a tree, still cautious of the hovercraft which is still in their view.

For a little while longer, April remains crouching down in the bush and decides to stay there until the hovercraft is completely out of their way. She catches Jason watching her, a look of concern flickering across his face. But she only looks back up at the hovercraft. Only the tail end of it still in view.

But once it is gone, and the dull hum can be heard faintly in the distance, April eventually stands up and brushes off any remains from the ground off her jeans. As she looks down at her black jeans and her red t-shirt which is now looking a little worse for wear, April is again reminded that this is the outfit she always saw herself wearing in her nightmare. How did she manage to dress herself in this without realising? And this thought only makes April fearful to think that everything in her nightmare is going to happen. Only this time she wouldn't be seeing the shadow, but the Daleks. April starts to wish that she hadn't left her thick white hoodie in the Tardis.

"What's going through your mind?" Jason asks, who is now standing directly in front of her.

April, with her head bowed, doesn't respond for a moment as she brushes off the remains of the dirt from her jeans. April knows that she does not have an answer to Jason's question. All that is going through April's head is pain. But how can she say that? Now is not the time to admit weakness.

She eventually looks up at Jason. "How's the shoulder holding up?"

Jason looks a little taken aback at April changing the subject immediately away from herself. He sighs heavily, knowing that sometimes it is no use. He can see how much she is struggling just from how reserved she is, and how reserved she has been since he first saw her in the Black Lighthouse. But this is a different reserved from how she was when they first met back in the parallel world. Back then she was reserved because she didn't know them and didn't trust UNIT on first account. But this time she is reserved because of whatever war she is currently fighting with inside her head. And it is something Jason can't do much to help. Trying to offer help to April is as easy as getting blood from a stone.

"Painful. But it'll heal," He replies. "I can imagine the guys being impressed that for the first time in battle I have been injured."

April looks at Jason for a little while, remembering the day when Harry Summerland told her about all the injuries that each UNIT soldier had witnessed and how Jason was the only soldier to have never been injured in battle. Then for a brief moment, April suddenly feels sick from the memory of Harry and his death back in the parallel world.

"Let's keep moving forward. We really don't have much time to waste at all." April murmurs and starts to walk in the direction the hovercraft went.

Jason walks by her side and for a long time they are silent. They tread the ground cautiously, keeping an eye out for any trip wires that might set off another trap. They move for some while and April glances sideways at Jason. His face twists in pain as he gently holds onto his left arm.

"Look, let's rest," April suggests suddenly panicked at Jason's pain. "Let's just sit."

"What? And end up getting caught by something else that lurks in these woods?" Jason groans. "April, we don't have much time and we have achieved fuck all. Okay, yes we saved UNIT from the attack of the wolves and we know that we can somehow disengage traps here. But we haven't even done anything about saving that young volunteer's life yet. Nor have we figured out a way to help stop the havoc from rising on this Island."

For a moment April and Jason stand there and look at each other.

"Just a couple of minutes, Jay," April says. "Please I just want to make sure that you are okay."

Jason sighs and gives in. "We have a mission."

"Whatever," April growls as she starts pulling down his jacket. "Right now nothing is more important than your well-being."

Jason snorts. "April, we've travelled from one parallel world to another for you and to stop this battle."

"I know," April snaps. "But in the long run the one who is actually being damaged by this place is myself. As long as I'm alive, this Island and that lighthouse keeps running. As long as Max is alive, his disease is only going to get worse."

"Don't speak like that."

"And as long as the Cytracik is in use, this will never end. Now just let me look at your bloody shoulder just for a minute!"

Jason says nothing as he allows April to pull down his jacket, revealing the almost black bruises all over his shoulder. He does not like the silence from April as she looks down at his shoulder. And he is fully aware that she is holding onto her breath.

"It's bad isn't it?" He says, knowing that her silence says it all.

"It'll be fine." April replies as she starts to cover his shoulder with his jacket again. But they both know that she does not mean it. Of course his shoulder is not going to be fine. Although they were taught how to deal with these kind of injuries during their training for UNIT, April is no medical doctor and she knows that he needs Martha's assistance immediately. Even Max would be able to help.

"We should probably take you to Martha or Max," April says, avoiding his eye. "They might be able to help."

Jason smirks. "And screw this whole thing up because we are seen by ourselves," he then squeezes April's arm. "I'd say we keep moving."

April silently nods. But just as they are about to walk on, there is a noise in the direction that the hovercraft flew. The sound is like some sort of an alarm. Not so much of an evacuation alarm, but more of a warning, or a reminder that something is about to happen.

April and Jason take slow steps forward. They tread carefully through the leaves, moving closer and closer towards the factory that looms nearer and nearer.

Eventually they find themselves at the edge of the woods. At the _very _edge. Below them is a steep drop and April can recognise the hills of Ebernie. However the hill are currently on the other side. April looks over the tops of the hills, knowing that life on the Island is just over there.

But between the hills of Ebernie and the edge of the woods is what looks like a large, round crater in the ground covered over in green grass. The circular crater is surrounded by the hills of Ebernie on one side and the woods on the other. Yet right in the middle of the crater is the factory that they could see through the trees.

Closest to them are two high concrete chimneys that jut out from the base of the crater. Then behind the chimneys is a large, four storey grey block with small white windows. To their right is a black platform which looks similar to a helipad. Sitting on top is the hovercraft.

To their luck there seems to be no one walking around the crater. No shape shifters, no alien or any security guard. But a shiver runs down April's spine as she knows that they have reached the Heat Miles base.

"Some place," Jason says, nodding his head as if in acceptance. "Can only guess where we've ended up."

April glances over towards the hills of Ebernie. She notices the barbed wire fence that runs along the bottom of the hills and the three watch towers with search lights.

Yet the major flaw in their security is that the back end of the base is not guarded at all. Rodger Barratt will be in quite a surprise if he finds out that Jason and April have managed to make their way into the woods and to the Heat Miles base. Heat Miles hasn't changed much since 1775 with their lack of security.

April momentarily closes her eyes and for a split second, she can hear the voices inside the base. Instantly she understands that the fire in the woods has caused a panic, therefore Heat Miles are sending out some shape shifters to check the woods in case the Doctor is there.

"Can I use your tact gun?" April asks, looking at Jason.

"If you want." Jason replies as he reaches for his belt. He then pulls out a small white hand gun. The gun can almost pass as a water pistol due to the shiny plastic exterior. But April takes the gun and starts to climb the tree nearest them. For a moment Jason wonders whether or not he should follow her, but he eventually decides against it. Instead he crouches down at the base of the tree and keeps an eye on the Heat Miles base.

April climbs to the very top of the tree and balances herself on the most sturdiest looking branch. With one hand placed on the trunk of the tree for balance, she looks up at the sky above them. Clouds cover the sky with a dark blue hue just as the first rays of daylight try to shine through. She looks at the patch of sky directly above her and then at the sky above the Heat Miles base.

Sometimes she can feel a light breeze around her and not hear it.

April aims the tact gun up at the sky above the base and shoots. She only has to wait a short second before the black sticky tact hits the forcefield. The tact remains there for a short while before fizzing off completely.

Just as April suspects. The forcefield covers the whole of this crater as well as the woods and the festival. However the only thing April does not understand is what she figured out back at the festival. If she can sneak in, why is it she cannot sneak out? Shouldn't the forcefield be there to stop people from coming into the woods?

April jumps down from the tree and lands on her feet with a thump, making Jason jolt with fright. Jason pretends that this didn't happen and April goes with it.

"The forcefield covers the whole of this crater too. I assume it stops just before the hills of Ebernie or on the other side." April says as she brushes off stray pieces of bark off her hands. She looks at Jason and hands him back the white tact gun.

"So how the hell are we to get out?" Jason asks as he puts the gun back in his belt.

April hesitates. "We'll find something." she then looks back at the Heat Miles base.

"Want to check it out?" Jason suggests.

"I suppose we have no choice." April replies.

There seems to be no other way to get down to the base of the crater without attempting to slide down the steep side and hope to not have a broken leg by the bottom. Jason leads. After making sure that there are no other shape shifters or anyone from Heat Miles around the crater, Jason sits down on the edge of the crater and slowly makes his way down.

April is hesitant to begin with but eventually follows pursuit. Only the top edges of the crater seems steep, but eventually it flattens out at the bottom. Once they reach the bottom of the crater, they stand up and look at the base between the two concrete chimneys.

"Doesn't look any prettier from down here." Jason murmurs.

To their luck, it is still fairly dark so they can sneak across the crater without being seen from the base windows, despite April's bright red t-shirt. Yet as they run in between the chimneys towards the base, April is reminded of when herself and Max were walking through the sewers in Manchester with the aim to kill Heat Miles.

How things have not changed much since.

They reach the back entrance to the base and halt for a moment. The atmosphere around them seems too silent for their liking. April and Jason look at each other and then back to the uninviting black door.

"So," Jason eventually says. "Odds on us being caught within the first five minutes of breaking in."

April continues to scowl at the door. "Max and I lasted at least half an hour last time. We made our way into an office."

"Oh?" Jason raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah in 1775 when Heat Miles had just started."

"Right. Well lets hope that they haven't improved in their security."

April's scowl deepens as she stares at Jason. Jason only raises his eyebrows further and shrugs his shoulders. Then April is the first to move. She feels for her back jean pocket and pulls out the sonic screwdriver, feeling rather thankful that she didn't hand it back to the Doctor. Jason glances down at the sonic screwdriver but says nothing.

April stands by the back door and shines the sonic screwdriver onto the handle. The blue light flashes and whirs until the handle clicks. April and Jason glance at one another just before April turns the handle. The door swings outwards and they are met with a brightly lit corridor that extends straight ahead. The walls are a bright white colour yet the black flooring has some sort of marble effect.

April enters first and Jason follows. They take slow, careful steps through the corridor as the door closes behind them with an echoing thud. The corridor turns to the right and knowing corridors better, April hides behind the wall and peers over the edge.

The corridor is empty of any Heat Miles workers. Yet at the end by the wall is a door. To the left of the door is a large glass window looking into an office. Yet as the corridor turns to the left by the door, most of the window is cut off by the wall.

April nods her head to Jason and they both pull out a gun from their belts, wanting to be ready for an attack if necessary. They quietly tip-toe down the corridor, heading towards the office door.

Suddenly someone from inside the office walks past the window and the low voices from inside can be heard. Instantly, April and Jason duck down to the floor and remain frozen to the spot.

The voices from inside the office seem light and not threatening at all. And when laughter is heard, April slowly starts to crawl forward.

"April." Jason hisses.

"We attack when it's necessary," April whispers back. "Hasn't Aaron told you enough times?"

Jason says nothing in response as he follows her. They silently crawl along the black flooring towards the office. Their voices becoming louder and clearer the closer they get. It sounds like there are no more than four people in the office, and just from their tones and laughter, they seem relaxed.

To their luck, when the corridor turns to the left, there is still no one around.

April and Jason wait by the wall, the large glass window directly above them. Jason pulls out a small silver compact mirror from the inside pocket of his jacket, wincing from the pain in his shoulder as he does so. April watches him with a harsh scowl as he uses the end of his fingernail to open a small hatch at the base of the mirror. He then pulls out a long, thin cable acting as an extending arm. Jason then takes hold of the end of the cable and lifts the mirror with a shaking hand. Eventually he is able to hold it still.

They both look into the reflection in the compact mirror, seeing the people inside. There is one man standing by a desk, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. There are three others, another man and two women sitting at the wooden table in the middle of the office, smoking and playing a game of cards. However they are still wearing smart suits, which they can only assume is their uniform. There are four white lab coats thrown lazily over the back of one of the swivel office chairs.

Jason slowly tilts the mirror at different angles so that they can see every corner of the office. There are mainly filing cabinets and desks covered in paperwork and files. There is only one computer on the desk. The screen is blank apart from a white square in the middle, showing a message.

Suddenly the voices in the office halt abruptly and there is a chilling silence.

Holding onto his breath, Jason carefully tilts the mirror to the left and sees the reflection of one of the female Heat Miles workers, looking directly at him through the mirror.

Jason instantly drops the mirror as chairs scrape across the floor in the office. And before April and Jason can do anything, the workers inside start to shoot through the window. The glass smashes and falls around them.

However Jason is quick to act. In a matter of seconds, Jason pulls out a small hand grenade from his belt and throws it through the shattered window. Once the grenade falls from his hand, he grabs onto April and shoves her forward.

The workers panic at the sight of the grenade and only one manages to open the office door just before the grenade explodes. The impact blows both his legs off and kills the others instantly. Jason cries out in pain as both him and April stumble forward, away from the office.

Despite the ringing in her ears, April helps Jason up and they start running through the corridor, knowing that this will cause enough attention. They run as quickly as they can, but as soon as they hear footsteps, they hide in the nearest room. April pushes Jason in first and closes the door behind them. She then locks the door firmly with the sonic screwdriver.

The room is dark apart from a small blue light behind them. Instead, April and Jason remain standing behind the door in silence.

They hear angry voices and shouts in the near distance, which is then followed by running footsteps. Heavy boots slapping the marbled flooring.

"What the fuck is this? What the fuck happened?" April can recognise Lucien's voice very easily. He yells at the other Heat Miles workers around him and the ones that run to the scene. He demands to know how this has happened. But there seems to be more cussing then demanding questions.

Jason gently nudges April and points to the bottom edge of the door. April looks down and notices it. The bright light from the hallway shines through the gap running between the floor and the bottom edge of the door. And with the light are two shadows which looks like a pair of legs. Just from the silence, April can only assume that there is a shape shifter standing on the other side of the door, silently waiting for them to leave the room.

April covers the sonic screwdriver with her hand, trying to drown out the sound as she presses the button three times. After the third buzz, the shape shifter turns and walks away from the door.

For a moment April and Jason remain by the door. April then runs the sonic screwdriver along the edges of the door before pulling away.

"No one from outside can come in here or hear us." April says before tucking the screwdriver into her jean pocket. She then walks across the dark room to the blue light which turns out to be a computer screen. She feels her way along the desk and finds a switch to the desk lamp. Immediately the room is filled with a warm orange light and the first thing April notices is the half eaten egg sandwich left on the side.

April then takes one quick look around the room. It is a very small office. So small that there are only about four steps between the desk and the door. April then looks at Jason who is still hovering by the door. Then without saying anything, she takes a seat in the office chair and starts tapping away at the computer.

To her luck, the person working in here earlier has left the computer logged in, allowing April access to all of Heat Miles' data. Something like this would make the Doctor smile and laugh, but for April, her scowl only deepens.

Jason eventually pulls away from the door and joins April at the desk.

April clicks on every file she can find on the computer. A lot of them are saved documents from whoever account this is logged onto. Jason comes over to April and looks at the computer screen over her shoulder, resting one hand on the back of her chair and another on the desk.

April eventually finds a spreadsheet which holds the list of the ten volunteers for the Day of Destruction. At the very bottom of the spreadsheet is a link saying CLICK TO SUBMIT. April and Jason look at each other, remembering that this is the night of Rodger Barratt's party. This is the night the Slitheen and the Cybermen arrive. And this is the night they announce this years volunteers.

"You sure you want to do this?" Jason asks.

April sighs. "We have no choice. I suppose if we want to save lives."

"Then who shall we take over?"

April looks at the screen for a moment and she highlights the name Joshua Pickard, the tenth volunteer. She then presses the backspace button on the keyboard and types in Captain Jason Hoffman. She then highlights Morgarn's name which is number five on the list, and replaces it with her own: April Hollerford. For a moment she is tempted just to put down The Ice Girl but thinks better of it.

April finds herself hesitating for a brief second before she clicks the link at the bottom of the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet disappears from the screen and a new message appears:

YOU SUBMISSION HAS NOW BEEN SENT. THE MAJOR WILL RECEIVE IT SHORTLY.

Jason exhales heavily. "Aaron said that they announce the volunteers at the party."

"Yeah," April somehow finds herself smirking. "I think hearing our names being announced is going to cause some sort of riot."

"It'll be worth it," Jason then raises one eyebrow with curiosity. "Out of all the names you could have replace with yours, why did you pick Morgarn?"

April hesitates for an answer, for she is not entirely sure why she did. She could have swapped Ellis Lustworve's name with hers so his future she saw in her nightmare will not come true. However April feels like that is a future if she never came to the Island to help them. Something tells her that it would be better to not have Morgarn volunteer for the Day of Destruction.

However, just before April can reply to Jason's question, the computer bleeps and another message appears on the screen. April's scowl deepens as she turns her attention back to the computer. There is a small red square in the top left corner of the screen. There is a bold exclamation mark in the centre, and the red square flashes and pulsates, clearly indicating a warning.

April moves the mouse of the computer and clicks on the red square.

A green and black holographic image, not too dissimilar to the holographic screen they had at the UNIT base appears. The image shows an outlined map of what looks like the Island. And then to the right of the map is a large green dot that seems to be moving swiftly towards the Island.

April and Jason know exactly what it is. This is a warning to Heat Miles, informing them of the arrival of the new aliens. The unknown aliens that arrived in the black oval spaceship.

"But why are the distress signals coming from this base?" Jason asks. "That's almost like they're inviting the aliens here."

"Well knowing what Rodger Barratt is like, he wouldn't want them to make a big show like they will," April taps away at the keyboard. "Perhaps we could alter the distress signals to a different location."

Jason's brow furrows. "Where? There aren't that many locations to hide here."

"How about the Black Lighthouse?" April suggests. "For a start it is completely out of the way from the rest of the village. So if the aliens are following a distress signal, they will only fly over the cliff and will be hidden on the beach on the other side. The villagers here will never see them."

"And you think that sending the aliens to the Black Lighthouse is a wise idea?"

April looks at the screen for a moment. "What's the worst that's going to happen? The Cytracik isn't there."

Jason says nothing in response but allows April to do what she wishes. April hates the silence Jason gives her but she continues to do so. It may not be the best idea she has come up with, but surely it is going to be enough to stop the alien's arrival from causing havoc on the Island. This is what the Doctor wanted them to do. The holographic screen changes to the view of the beach.

For a moment, April completely stops what she is doing as she looks at the holographic image of the beach. A shiver runs down her spine as she sees the view of the beach and the Black Lighthouse, just the way she has seen it so many times in her nightmare.

Aware of the way April's hands hover over the keyboard and how she's now holding her breath, Jason reaches forward and goes to take April's hand as if to calm her, but before he has the chance to touch her, April snatches her hand away. Jason is almost shocked at this. He looks at April who stares straight at the computer screen, her scowl harsh.

Without another word, April vigorously taps away at the keyboard, finding a way to change the distress signals to the Black Lighthouse.

"It's okay." Jason says softly.

"I know." April replies sternly as she continues to tap away, both of them fully aware that she does not mean exactly what she is saying.

Jason understands that things are difficult for April. She is living in her own nightmare, not exactly sure as to what she is supposed to do. Neither of them know what has to be done other than to destroy the Cytracik before the Daleks have the chance to get to it. But everything with Heat Miles and the Day of Destruction is making everything more complex. It is just a way to cover up the Battle of the Cytracik, to allow the fight to happen in the woods and away from the village. Rodger Barratt knows this and this village on this Island is everything he has to protect himself and the Cytracik. But Jason can see the way this is hard on April, and hard on Max too.

"Got it." April says as the computer bleeps. A sign appears in the corner of the screen informing them that the distress signals have been transferred over to the Black Lighthouse.

Suddenly there are three sharp knocks at the door. April and Jason jump in fright.

There is a pause of silence as Jason slowly pulls his gun from his belt.

There are another three bangs at the door followed by a voice.

"Sir, are you in there?" The voice shouts through the door. "Sir, we need you now. The Major is putting us all on high alert here in the base. There are intruders here."

Jason looks at April and nods his head before slowly making his way to the door. April stands by the computer desk and pulls out her gun. Then trying to keep her breathing steady, she aims her gun at the door and holds it there.

Jason presses his ear to the door trying to see if he can tell if there is more than one person outside. But nothing can be heard. Jason then takes another look at April before taking hold of the door handle. He twists it so that is clicks.

"Oh so you are in here, sir." The Heat Miles worker says but stops abruptly when the door swings open. The Heat Miles worker is met with Jason and April instead of the person whom they have been looking for.

Jason does not hesitate before he hits the worker around their head with his gun, knocking them unconscious on the ground. Then both April and Jason leave the room and start running up the corridor, holding their guns firmly in their hands.

The corridor twists and turns in different directions and they both stop at a turning, having to make sure that no one else are around. They pass many different offices along the way, but they keep running forward.

However on the last turning, they find three Heat Miles workers at the other end. April quickly pulls out a small hand grenade and throws it in their direction. The grenade goes off before the workers have time to attack them.

"Why are we going further into the base?" April snaps at Jason as she tries to catch her breath.

"I think I remember Aaron saying something about there being a tunnel under this base that may take us to the beach and Rodger Barratt's house," Jason exhales deeply. "Thought it would kill some time."

April stares at Jason, looking somewhat annoyed over the fact that this was not mentioned earlier. Jason only grins back, but his eyes drift over her shoulder and in a second, he shoots down the person coming up behind her.

"Trust me on this." He then takes her hand and they start running forward again.

However the final turning takes them into a large furnace room filled with smoke. They stop running for a moment as the heat of the room hits them harshly. Without any hesitation, Jason shoots the first worker he sees through the smoke and they keep walking forward.

There is a rather pungent smell in the room and April is only reminded of when she saw the smoke rising from behind the hills when she was making her way to the festival.

"What are they cooking here?" April shouts to Jason over the loud rumble of the furnace.

Jason does not reply, but continues to make his way forward, still holding onto April.

Soon enough they are interrupted by the sound of a loud, dull rumble. The metal flooring trembles underneath their feet. Jason and April stare at each other warily as not far behind them there is the sound of something like an iron gate opening.

April turns around and sees a circular gate in the floor, disguised as a drain slowly opening. And out comes a robotic alien neither April nor Jason have come across before. April feels Jason's hand grip onto her shoulder.

"April..." Jason warns as they watch this creature rise out from the ground. The creature appears tall with its black, metal dome helmet. In the centre of the dome is a red light blinking at them like an eye. Underneath the dome are at least twenty silver tentacles wriggling around each other, just like the black tentacles do on the head of a shape shifter.

"You are not authorised to be here," the tall metal robot says in a low, dull robotic voice. "You are permitted to remain where you are as we eviscerate you."

"Fuck that!" Jason snaps as this alien starts to move towards them. Jason hauls April to the side and they start to move further away from this alien. However they only manage to take a few steps before they bump into another robotic alien, identical to the other, approaching them.

"You have the right to remain stationary." The alien demands.

April and Jason turn around in different directions but are only to find that they are completely surrounded by these aliens threatening to eviscerate them.

"Shit." Is all Jason can say.


	24. XXIII - Trying to save a life

**XXIII  
Trying to save a life**

_The Island  
__Heat Miles Base  
__2 Days earlier_

"Got a plan?" Jason asks brightly, despite his sharp intakes of breath.

"No." April says quietly as she stares at the robotic aliens that are still enclosing in on them. When there is a short distance between them, two silver needles that blaze with a bright blue electrical charge, spurts out from the alien's silver tentacles. April and Jason press closer together, somewhat hoping that the closer they stand against each other, the further away they will be from being eviscerated into smithereens.

"You will only feel a small tingling sensation before nothing. You have the right to remain where you are." The aliens chanted as they get ever closer.

"Got a plan now?" Jason asks in a panic as the electrical charges from the robots are now dangerously close to them.

April glances over the black domes that make up the head of the aliens, and notices a human shaped shadow move across the wall.

"You got anything that might capture the enemy?" April asks through the side of her mouth.

"It's two against a hundred, April." Jason warns in a stern voice so unlike his usual voice.

"Something is better than none."

Jason sighs moodily and pulls out a round silver disc from his belt and places it in April's open palm. Feeling the heavy weight and the rigid edges to the disc, April immediately recognises this piece of equipment. It is another of Declan Hollerford's inventions.

April eagerly cranes her neck over the domes of the robots and watches the shadow. However, to her luck, one of the Heat Miles workers, wearing a long white lab coat and clutching a blue clipboard in one hand and a pistol in the other, comes marching right up towards them.

Without further ado, April throws the silver disc to the worker. As the disc soars through the air, two long metallic wires spurt out from the rigid edges and spins in circles like a windmill. Within seconds, the flying disc has immediately grabbed the attention of the robotic aliens, who are within millimetres from April and Jason. Their electrical charges suddenly disappear and their black domes turn backwards, so that their red eyes are no longer blinking at them.

Then no more than a couple of seconds later, the disc reaches the Heat Miles worker and the two wires wrap around him, securing his legs and arms tightly together. As this happens, the man immediately drops his gun and clipboard and stands still, almost as if he has been frozen to the spot.

The robots soon start to advance on the Heat Miles worker. "You have the right to remain where you are as we eviscerate you."

For a split moment, April stares in horror as the robots block the view of the Heat Miles worker who has now fallen to the floor like a wooden plank. However the man screams through gritted teeth as the silver disc has disabled him from being able to move a muscle.

"April, let's go." Jason glows as he tugs at her shoulder. For a second April does not respond, but suddenly Jason slaps her on the side of her neck, bringing her attention back to him.

Not saying a word, April follows Jason, trying to concentrate on the back of his scruffy black hair, rather than the screams as the robots eviscerate this man.

Jason stops at the side of the large furnace in the centre of the room and grabs hold of a rusty, metallic door handle in the ground. And with an almighty tug, Jason grits his teeth and manages to pull open the trap door with difficulty. April can see the sweat pouring down the side of his face and the way his elbows shake vigorously as he holds open the trap door.

"April get in!" Jason shouts over the screams.

April suddenly runs forward and sits on the edge of the trap door. Down below her is complete darkness. But the sound of Jason's groans pushes April forward into the darkness.

And soon enough, April finds herself falling lower and lower into the ground. Just above her, she is aware of the sound of Jason falling and the trap door slamming shut. But with her arms waving vigorously at her sides, the force of the passing air pushing against her face, April continues to fall further down this tunnel which seems to never end.

There must be a bottom to this trap at some point. However a drop this deep won't necessarily mean that either of them will be alive by the time they hit the bottom. Immediately April starts to panic because the mission isn't done and there is still so much she and Jason have to do.

Suddenly, as April closes her eyes, she finds that the speed of her fall starts to slow down. She slows down so much it feels as if a parachute has somehow spurted from her back. Then moments later, April lands uncomfortably and yet softly on the stone ground at the bottom of the dark trap. Jason lands on his left shoulder uncomfortably.

April rolls onto her back and looks up at the mass of darkness around her. There is no sign of the trap door way above them. Soon enough, panic suddenly overcomes April again when she hears Jason groan to her right.

"Jay, your shoulder!" April cries as she rushes over to him, losing her balance as she does so.

"I'm okay. I'm okay. It's fine." Jason insists as April helps him stand up. "I just didn't think that the drop will be _that_ deep. You're supposed to prepare yourself for landing safely with these gravity defying pads."

April raises her hand to her neck where Jason slapped it moments before they dropped down the trap door. On her neck is what feels like a paper sticker that's slowly peeling away from her sweaty skin. She suddenly remembers that time back in the parallel world when she was alone with Aaron at the top of Canary Wharf. There was a spaceship hurtling their way and Aaron slapped one of these pads onto her neck before hauling them both out of the window.

Jason rubs at his injured shoulder, wincing in pain as he looks ahead into the darkness around them. There is no telling which way is which.

"We need to head back to the festival." April says with a shaky breath as she fumbles in her pocket for the sonic screwdriver.

Jason looks down at his wristwatch with narrows eyes. It is getting on for midday. "I guess we have some time to kill before Rodger Barratt's party. What do you have in mind?"

A chill runs down April's spine at the thought of what must be happening how. She didn't take the time of when they arrived on the Island. Is her past self here yet? Has she stumbled across Amelia Lustworve yet? Or is she already exploring the festival? The thought of her past self already being at the festival makes April eager to move on as quickly as possible. And suddenly the image of the drunk man being shot in the festival fills April's mind. Maybe they have a chance to perhaps save his life and stop him from causing havoc.

However different scenarios run through April's mind. The man drew attention to himself just before herself and Max could get caught by the shape shifters while they were trying to leave. April rubs her eyes, aware of her head throbbing.

She then pulls out the Doctor's sonic screwdriver and plays with the buttons on it's side. "We'd better make a move then." She says deeply.

"April," Jason warns, sensing April body language: he knows when she is trying to think of a plan. "Remember we mustn't be seen."

April does not reply as the light at the end of the sonic screwdriver suddenly becomes as bright as a torch, bouncing brilliant blue light off the stone walls around them. They are met with three different pathways leading in different directions. April looks down the pathway straight ahead of them.

"The festival is this way." She mutters and starts walking on. Jason watches after her before following, his hand held tightly over his belt, preparing himself for any possible ambushes.

April holds the sonic screwdriver in her left hand and holds her right hand over the top. She looks down at the blue light, reading the directions it gives her to reach the festival by the woods. Jason walks on silently behind her but trips over a loose stone here and there.

After around twenty minutes of silent walking through the underground tunnel, they see a bright light further on ahead. And then eventually they can hear voices.

Instantly, both April and Jason stop walking abruptly, and April dims the light on the sonic screwdriver. They crane their necks to hear the voices. There seems to be a good few voices which is followed by overly cheerful laughter. Eventually they can just about make out the music playing, and they both realise that the voices are coming from the festival above them, rather than in front.

April walks on steadily, getting closer and closer towards the light in front of them.

Eventually they find themselves standing under a drain. Right above them is the metal drain itself which April can touch if she stands on the tips of her toes. The grey, cloudy sky looms above them.

Holding the sonic screwdriver above her head, she flashes it at the drain cover. The metal bars creak and then eventually snap in half, leaving space for both April and Jason to climb up.

Without uttering a word, Jason helps April up first, avoiding using his bad shoulder. As he lifts her, April peers over the edge, sinking her fingers into the muddy grass. To their luck, they are inside the festival and completely concealed by the stalls. April then pulls herself out of the drain before helping Jason out.

For a long moment, they both just sit there in the muddy grass, taking in the damp breezy air and the light around them. Being stuck in both the furnace and the tunnel almost felt like they were never going to make it out. But the grass underneath them is damp, almost as if it has been raining the whole time they were in the Heat Miles base.

"You okay?" Jason checks in, but April replies with a nod. They are exceedingly close to the woods. The fence surrounding the whole festival sits directly in front of April and trees to the woods are just on the other side of the fence.

"What happened here that made you want to come here?" Jason asks as he scrambles onto his feet, rubbing at the grass stains on his battle UNIT uniform.

"There's an innocent man here that was shot under my watch." April replies in a surprisingly strong voice.

"And you want to go and save him." Jason finishes in a somewhat mocking voice.

April stares at Jason dangerously.

Jason looks down at her, his eyes full of sympathy. "Buttercup, there is only so much you can do. Don't penalise yourself for it. Maybe he was supposed to die."

Usually being called Buttercup by Jason soothes April, but right now it does not. April stands up. "I tried saving him once and failed. I've been given this second chance so what's the harm in at least me giving it another go? Besides you've already said that we've got time to kill. I might as well."

Jason sighs heavily and stares at April for a while. "The problem is that you've just stated the obvious, April. _You_ were there at the scene. Your past self is roaming this festival right now," Jason tries to suppress a smirk at April's sulking face. "The last thing the Doctor told me as I volunteered to go back in time with you is that we _mustn't_ be seen. And I can't stress that enough, April. If past you is standing there, trying to save this man's life, think about how strange it would be for you now to jump out and save the day. The Doctor gets away with it in his travels because he never travels back in time to the same place more than once," Jason shushes April when she opens her mouth in protest. "I'm being serious, April. We can cause serious trouble if there are two April Hollerford's in the same place. This Island will take it as a threat. The future is in enough danger as it already is. And hopefully the fact that you changed the distress signals to the Black Lighthouse will mean that the universe will turn up without the Island seeing and causing a havoc. But you can't go showing yourself."

"Alright, I get it," April sighs. "But we can at least try and stop the scene from happening."

Jason nods his head. "Okay," he says. "How did it happen?"

"Max and I were trying to sneak out when we heard the drunk man shouting. He said something along the lines of the Day of Destruction being some sort of cock-and-ball game."

"Well let's just take it carefully to the scene."

April twiddles the sonic screwdriver nervously around her hands before walking on. Jason follows, keeping an eye out on the people around him, making sure that they are not being watched. April takes a detour around the festival, weaving in and out from behind every stall. Peering through the gaps between each stall, she makes sure that there is no one around before moving on.

Jason constantly keeps an eyes on their backsides, in case someone follows them, but he has confidence in April knowing where to go. As they walk through the festival undisturbed, Jason finds his combat boots slowly sinking low in the mud and he occasionally slips. He quickly regains his composure and looks behind him as if nothing happened at all. However April makes no sign to show that she is aware of Jason slipping and sliding in the muddy grass.

Suddenly, April stops very abruptly at the side of one of the stalls, and Jason stands close, just behind her shoulder.

"There he is!" April whispers, as she peers over the side of the stall.

The man stands there looking rather ashen as he stares down at his tatty grey trainers. There does not seem to be any alcohol in sight. April's scowl deepens as she vividly remembers the man being drunk when he started yelling expletives and shouting words against the Day of Destruction. She is sure that this is roughly round about the same time herself and Max are supposed to trying to leave the festival.

April takes in a breath and opens her mouth to speak, wanting to mention something about her confusion as to being certain that this man was drunk when she saw him, but she is immediately silenced by the appearance of one of the ten volunteers.

A tall and broadly built black man with a shaved head walks up to the man. Orion places one hand firmly on the man's shoulder and they, crouch low, their heads close as they speak together in low voices. April tries to listen to as much as she can but their voices are so low, it is hard to distinguish any words at all.

But from the look of their body language, it is almost as if Orion is explaining something to the man, who seems to be nodding in agreement. The man is clearly sober.

When they finish speaking, both Orion and the man stand up straight. They look at each other in silence for a long moment before Orion holds out a big, sturdy hand. The man takes Orion's hand in his and they shake firmly.

April and Jason can only make out Orion's lasts words.

"We owe you everything for this." Orion says deeply before releasing his grip on the man's hand and leaving him. Orion looks around, as if making sure that there is no one else around them, before he skirts smoothly away from the scene. The man is left there, staring pensively back down at his tatty trainers.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Jason mutters as he looks over April's head, observing the scene in front of them.

"I have a bad feeling that..."

However, April is cut off immediately as the man starts running away. He turns their back on them and runs over to the other side of the stalls in front of them. And then all of a sudden, the man starts yelling.

April's heart drops right down to the bottom of her stomach like a heavy stone and an overwhelming sensation to be sick overcomes her. It takes all her might to not start retching as she clenches her fists. She didn't even have the chance to try and stop this from happening. Now she is going to have to relive the whole scene once more.

Without a second thought, April makes a run to follow the man, but Jason holds her by the elbow and yanks her back behind the stall.

"April, _no_!" Jason snaps in the angry voice so unlike him. "There's nothing we can do now!"

"I can't let them kill him again!" April shouts wildly to the point that Jason has no choice but to cover her mouth with his hand to silence her. There April glares at him as angry tears roll down her face, splattering onto his hand.

"I'm sorry, April, but we can't!"

There is a moment of silence between the two and Jason slowly lowers his hand from April's mouth once she calms down.

The festival seems eerily quiet as everyone's attention has turned to the man who is pretending to be drunk. Did Orion order him to do this? Is this all part of the revolution?

"Come on, let's see how it unfolds." Jason whispers before stepping to the side of April and out in the open.

For a moment, April wonders whether or not she really wants to witness the scene again. Can she bear to see the man sacrificing himself just to say a few bad words about the Day of Destruction in public once more? But when she hears herself screaming in the distance, April feels more curious than anything. With a heavy sigh, April hastily wipes away her tears before she turns and follows Jason. They pass the area in which Orion was talking to the man moments before, and hide behind the next set of stalls.

However just as April hides behind Jason, she sees the security guard punch her past self in the face.

"Fuck!" April hisses as she feels the searing pain on her cheek as her past self falls down to the muddy ground.

"Holy shit, April!" Jason mutters just when the security guard points his gun down at April on the ground, who's cheek is bleeding. "What did you get yourself into?"

April stands by Jason's side, rubbing at her sore cheek as she watches the scene unfold itself. Max is looking hesitant as he slowly approaches the scene, but Joseph Hollerford runs directly in the way of the guard shooting April. His words are slightly blown away in the wind.

"He really loves you. Your grandfather." Jason says quietly as Joseph tries to defend April.

April somehow finds herself smirking when she sees her past self looking rather annoyed. "Well yes and he also called me Rodger Barratt's princess."

Then Jason and April are silent as the watch the way Joseph turns to April, but Max pulls her away, looking warily at the security guards. April then closes her eyes just seconds before the bullet blows through the man's head and he stops shaking on the ground.

The security guard then shouts his last words. April and Jason catches every chilling word

"As you should all know by now," he shouts. "There's a security of this Island that depends on complete and total timeless energy. Any protestors, any investigators or rebellions will be made example of!"


	25. XXIV - Eye of the child and Major

**XXIV  
Eye of the child and the Major**

_The Island  
__Underground  
__The night of Rodger Barratt's party_

Once the security guards start to direct everyone in the festival away, Jason pulls April away from the scene, warning her that they have to move immediately. The security guards are searching the whole of the festival and they cannot afford to be caught. April allows Jason to drag her away, and she follows him as he takes the path they came from. They find the drain from which they first came from and Jason pulls it open before dropping down.

April notices the way Jason gently holds onto his bad shoulder as they walk on, but she does not bother asking him about it because she knows that he will only brush the subject to the side.

Once they are both hidden in the tunnel with the drain closed above them, both April and Jason hesitate for a moment. There is a long silence between them. All that can be heard is the sound of dripping water further on down the tunnel. Eventually Jason looks down at his wristwatch.

"We should start making our way down to Rodger Barratt's mansion," he says in a dull voice. "I suppose everyone will be getting ready for it."

April nods, however, her mind is being diverted to the coach journey they took to the party. She remembers riding through the Island and being watched by all the passers-by. But their carriage took them through a dark tunnel which eventually came out to a different area. An area that looked newly built but deserted. They passed through this area just before they reached Rodger Barratt's mansion.

"We've still got time to kill." April says aloud.

Jason raises an eyebrow. "You can't keep trying to save everyone, April. Maybe that man offered to sacrifice himself-"

"It's not that at all," April hisses, waving away Jason's words. "On the journey from Jack's house to the mansion, we passed through this tunnel and then came out to a different area in the Island."

Jason looks at April, not blinking.

April continues. "I don't exactly know what that area is used for as it looked newly built. But there was a podium and stage with stalls at either side. It was like a large arena surrounded by tall buildings," April sighs heavily. "I know Heat Miles are using the Day of Destruction as preparation and a cover for this battle. But the shape shifters are the ones who brought the Cytracik to life. So they would probably do anything to keep it at bay from the Daleks and everything else fighting for that power. The shape shifters and Heat Miles would do anything to get a little bit more power."

"Yes but what has this place you went past have anything to do with them getting power?"

April pauses for a moment. "I'm not sure, but it's worth checking it out while we have the time," she says. "The last thing we need is chaos erupting when we aren't expecting."

Jason sighs and studies April for a long while before he starts to laugh.

April's scowl becomes harsh.

"The Doctor and Jack warned that you would be like this," Jason snorts as he rubs at his jaw. "They both said to me when I volunteered to go back in time with you."

"Said I would be like what?" April sneers.

Jason looks at April for a little while longer before clearing his throat. "We'd better make a move on. I guess we'd better make most of the time we have left."

"Said I would be like what, Jason?" April asks again harshly.

Jason hesitates for a second. "Stubborn."

Jason walks on ahead in the direction he claims should take them over to Rodger Barratt's mansion. He orders April to also use the sonic screwdriver as guidance. But as he walks, he continues to hold onto his bad shoulder. April makes a mental note that they will sit and rest while they await for the Cybermen and the Slitheen to crash the party.

They walk through the dark tunnel in silence for what seems like a long while. They twist and turn in different directions, but just from reading the sonic screwdriver, April knows that they are not far from Rodger Barratt's mansion. They pass under many drains along the way and they can tell that the sky overhead is starting to clear of clouds. The bright full moon starts to appear.

Eventually, as they keep walking on, life from the Island above them seems to have silenced. April suddenly gets the same feeling as she did when she first jumped over the fence into the festival as she passed through the force-field. The feeling of almost being cut off from everything else.

April raises the sonic screwdriver and starts scanning the roof of the tunnel, and she is certain they are under where she wants to be.

"We'll go here." April says as she stops under one of the drains.

Jason turns to look at her but says nothing as he stands next to her. Then continuing the silence, Jason helps April up with a groan, as she pushes open the drain before hauling herself out and helping Jason. Jason rolls onto his back as he looks up at the moonlit sky above him.

"Do you feel that?" April says after a while, her voice sounding rather hollow in the air around them.

"There's nothing here to feel." Jason replies.

The air around them is still and the silence here is far too quiet. April starts to wonder if they have been completely shut away from the rest of the Island.

April and Jason slowly start to move away from the drain, fully aware of how their every step echoes across this space. The space around them is only dimly lit by the full moon and the twinkling stars above them, yet the darkness still looms, making it difficult for them to see more than what is directly in front. For a short while, all they know is that they are walking over newly laid paving slabs which feels like nothing has ever walked over them before.

Yet eventually as their eyes adjust to the darkness, they can see the shapes and outlines of the tall buildings that circulate them. Then they see the podium and the stage at one end of the arena, the black iron scorpion-shaped statue at the other, and the hundreds of rows of seated stalls at either end of the arena.

"What is this place?" Jason says aloud when his eyes fixes on the blank, large television screen that hangs on a curtained wall just behind the stage.

April says nothing in response as she slowly starts to walk through the arena. Her footsteps echo loudly, making both herself and Jason flinch with every steps she takes. However, April's attention is drawn to three long wooden poles in the direct centre of the arena. They stand adjacent to one another. However, as April gets closer to the three poles, she notices the two iron loops attached to either side of the poles, and sitting in piles before them, are three heavy looking iron chains.

Jason, who is standing over by the stalls and running the tips of his fingers over the surface of the seats, turns his attention to April. He notices her looking blankly down at the chains.

"Torturing stands," Jason says as his voices echoes across the arena. "They used to use them when I was a kid back in our world," Jason slowly starts to walk over towards April who is now slowly bending over to take a closer look at the chains. "They used to chain prisoners up in Trafalgar Square by the fountain and whip them. It was when the General was promoted to his current role that he made an alliance with the government that they wouldn't use whipping as a form of punishment."

April's scowl becomes tighter as her head starts pounding severely. And for a moment, the pain is suddenly unbearable. April cries out on pain, holding her fist to her head as she stumbles backwards.

Then April is no longer in the dark arena but a house. She is in a bedroom April recognises from her nightmare. She stands at the end of the bed, looking down at an older and withered looking Ellis in bed, sleeping restlessly. She stares at him for a long while, concerned about Ellis' welfare, knowing full well that right now it is not as good as it used to be. However there is a voice at the back of her head asking her why she is there watching him, and why Ellis is suddenly looking so ragged.

Soon April turns away from Ellis and starts to leave the bedroom. She sees a glimmer of long blonde hair in the long oval mirror hanging up on the wall by the door, but she does nothing about it. Despite wanting to go back and look at her reflection, April finds herself walking down the stairs and is now in the living room to Ellis's small house.

April looks to her left and right, taking in every detail to their house that looks rather unkempt, almost as if it is now deteriorating from the inside. She takes a look at her long, bony hands. Her nails are chipped and red with dry blood, as if she has been constantly biting them. But instead she hurries over to the sink and scrubs away the dried blood. No one can see the blood. Blood means guilt.

The panic rises inside April as she tries to rid her ghostly white hands, which seem so unlike her own, from the blood. However the blood is stubborn and does not seem to want to come off easily.

Then that is when April hears it. Immediately her head shoots up and she looks directly into the wooden wall before her, just behind the sink.

There is a muffled cry that seems so close and yet so far away.

April stands there, letting the water to continue to run from the tap, as she listens to the muffled cries. It is the sound of a woman pleading for help, and yet it is almost as if this woman's mouth has been stuffed with tissue. April can just about make out the cry for help. Someone is stuck and April knows that there is nothing for her to do but to observe.

April finds herself pulling away from the sink in the kitchen and moving towards the cries. She passes through the living room and faces the front door to the house. Light from the outside shines through the frosty glass in the door, but it is the wall to her left that April is more drawn to.

The wall moves as if it is breathing. April, keeping a cautious eyes on the moving wall, slowly walking closer as the cries becomes louder, yet still as muffled as before. The wall moves again but only this time less like it is breathing, but more like something is moving underneath the surface.

Terror rises inside April as she sees hands pressing against the inside of the wall, desperate for freedom. The wall acts somewhat like cling-film; taught but easy to press through.

April feels a cold sweat as her body trembles in fear. And yet she finds herself moving closer towards the wall.

Now she can see the full body of a woman pressing firmly against the wall. Her mouth opens as she cries out in help.

"I'm sorry, mum," April cries in a high, childlike voice that is not her own. "I'm so sorry but I can't help you. We have lost."

Soon enough there is more than one scream filling the house. Bodies emerge from underneath the wall's surface, desperately trying to push themselves free. Their muffled cries ring all through the house and before April knows it, she falls to her knees and screams as a searing pain runs through her head, feeling like its banging a hammer against her skull.

"_April_!"

April clutches her head, screaming manically, but her screams are being drowned out by the others...

Suddenly there is a force grabbing onto both her shoulders and she feels herself being shaken like a rag doll.

"April, please, look at me!" Jason cries as he shakes April.

April's eyes flicker open wildly and the view of the Lustworve's house and the people in the wall has vanished. Instead she is met by the darkness of the arena and Jason's pale face, twisted in anguish directly in front of her.

For a moment there is a silence as Jason stares down at April who trembles vigorously in his grip. But before he has the time to catch her, April's knees buckle under her weight and she falls heavily on the stone ground.

The cries that escapes April's lips is nothing Jason has heard from her before, but from hearing what the Doctor, Rose and Terry has said, he knows that they are not far from her screams from her nightmare. Immediately Jason drops to her side and cradles April's in his arms, allowing her to sob into his good shoulder. He can tell that these are not tears of sadness, but tears of pain.

He places a hand to her forehead and feels her skin burning. He then places a hand on her chest, just below her neck and to his surprise, her skin is icy cold.

"What happened?" Jason asks once April's cries have subdued into silent trembles of her body. "One second you were okay, and then the next you were screaming on the ground," Jason looks down at April and pulls her hair away from her face, his voice suddenly becoming softer. "Buttercup?"

"Amelia..." April manages to say, though her voice trembles.

"Who?"

April pushes herself away from Jason, feeling too claustrophobic in his tight grip. She stands up on her feet and walks a few steps away from the chains and the torturing posts. The images of her vision slowly start to fade from her mind, but she rubs her eyes, desperately trying to remember everything she saw.

"I was Amelia."

"Who's Amelia?" Jason asks in a sterner voice. He is still crouched down on the ground, not having moved since April got up.

"Ellis' daughter," April snaps as if he should have already known. "I think I've just seen a future...like my nightmare, I think. Amelia. I was Amelia." April's words roll into one as they tumble out her mouth, being rather incoherent. But before April has the chance to say any more, she screams aloud as there is an excruciating pain shooting through her chest.

"April!" Jason shouts, rushing to her just as she falls to her knees.

April rolls into a ball, clutching her knees, feeling a pain through her chest like no pain before. She looks blankly ahead but her vision is clouded over by the darkness that looms over her. She can hear the crash of the waves in her ears and she knows that the Black Lighthouse is close.

The darkness in her vision swirls around like smoke just floating through the air. But soon enough she can see a distant glimpse of the Black Lighthouse and the beach that still haunts her. The beach seems misty, almost as if the image she can see is being made up of white gas. But she can hear Rodger Barratt's voice in her head. His words are rather incoherent, but his low, sinister voice sends a shooting pain through her body, reminding her that it is because of him and his fellow shape shifters that she is here fighting for her life against the Cytracik...

Jason kneels down by her side, looking down at her helplessly. "Shit, shit, shit," he mutters under his breath, unsure on whether or not he should touch her. "April, talk to me," he then says, his voice still stern and somewhat angry. "April, don't you dare let it take over you! Talk to me. What did you see?"

Jason's voice echo in April's mind, but all she is concerned about is the pain in her chest. It feels as if there is a fire erupting inside of her and daggers trying to fight their way out of her body. She feels like she may be sick.

"April, this is only the Cytracik playing with your mind!" Jason snaps. "You know that it is only trying to destroy you. Don't let it!" Jason hesitates. "Remember what it is you are fighting for!"

Jason's last words strikes a core in April's mind and she grits her teeth. She has to save the Doctor. And Rose. And Terry. She has to save UNIT. And most of all she has to save her brother. April tries to banish the misty image of the Black Lighthouse and the beach from her mind, and eventually it starts to fade away. So does Rodger Barratt's incoherent words.

But all of a sudden, her emotions are full of anger. She feels an overwhelming sense of anger which she has never felt before. This anger is full of revenge, but she does not know where this emotion comes from.

April's eyes flicker open as she groans. Her eyes lock onto Jason's and all of a sudden, the pain in her chest starts to fizzle away, just like it used to do every time she woke up from her nightmare. She takes in big gulps of air as she rolls onto her back, as if she has not been breathing for the last few minutes of pain that has passed.

Jason however looks down at April, his eyes full of fear. His tense body does not seem to relax.

"April?" He calls softly.

"I think I've just read Rodger Barratt's mind," April eventually said after a while, when she catches her breath to its normal pace. "And he's angry about something...like he wants revenge."

April and Jason are quiet for a long while as they listen out for the silence around them.

"Jay?" April says weakly.

"Yeah?" Jason says softly, yet his body is still tense.

"What is happening to me?"

Jason hesitates far longer than April hopes. "I can't say I know," Jason looks down at April who just stares up at the full moon above them. "But you have to tell the Doctor and Jack about what you saw. Here, come on." Jason offers April a hand and she takes it, letting him help her back on her feet. Jason leads April away from the torture posts and over to the stalls where they take a seat on the wooden benches.

"What did you see?" Jason asks, this time without any hesitation. "What did you mean you were Amelia?"

April lets out a loud, shaky breath as she scowls harshly down at her clammy hands in her lap. "When my nightmare changed after I left your world, I was seeing a future through Amelia Lustworve's eyes. A future where Ellis is weak having been through a battle. And the nightmare ended with her walking into the Black Lighthouse and being overcome by the shadow that I usually watch myself being killed by," Jason says nothing as she speaks. "I think it's a future that is possible and will determine on what happens now. I think if we're unsuccessful, then that future will become a reality," April clenches her fist as she tries to remember as much as she can from her vision through Amelia's eyes. "I saw the future again, I think. There's people trapped in the walls in Ellis' house," April stops speaking as her head starts to thump again, feeling like there is a small hammer banging against her temples. "But I just don't understand," April growls. "What the hell has Amelia and Ellis got to do with the Cytracik? I mean is it the revolution?"

"Has Ellis ever explained about his wife's death?" Jason asks.

April shakes her head. "He sort of avoided going into detail. Do you?"

"No. But it might be worth knowing perhaps."

April narrows her eyes. "That family better not also be under the Cytracik's curse," April hisses. "I won't let it get to them too."

Jason suddenly jumps to his feet. "Let's make a move. There's nothing here and we should really go to the party."

April stares at Jason quizzically but does not say anything for a moment. "Maybe we should let it happen." She eventually suggests.

"What?" Jason says, his voice going back to its stern tone.

"The Cyberman's and the Slitheen's ambush."

Jason says nothing.

"The truth is, it is only the arrival of the other aliens that causes havoc. Rodger Barratt wanted the Cybermen to arrive to the party. The Slitheen were just an added bonus Heat Miles were not expecting."

"Okay," Jason breathes. "I agree that the ambush should still happen, but we need to make sure that they at least announce our names when they read out the list of the Day of Destruction volunteers."

For a brief moment there is silence as they remember what they have done.

"I guess we've really changed fate." April mumbles.

"You sure you want to do this?" Jason asks.

April nods. "Of course. I just can't imagine exactly how the Doctor is going to react."

Jason sighs. "Do you know what Jack Gruntler said to us all before we came here to this Island? He said the same to the Doctor," Jason looks down harshly at April. "We're all here for you, April. Will ran away from home to come to this Island to help start a revolution for you. We followed for the same reason. The Doctor took you here because he knows that this nightmare and the Cytracik is destroying you. But we are all here to save you, April. To help you and to rid you and Max from that prophecy this stupid box has left you. And the one thing Jack Gruntler told us is to not stop you from doing what you want to do here," Jason pauses for a moment. "He said what we all do is up to you. This is your prophecy we are talking about. But you have to do this for yourself. And we are here to help you, not stop you. Okay yes this might freak the Doctor out. And he'll probably have a go at you. But I can only imagine that might be why the Doctor was distant with you when you first came here," Jason raises his hand to stop April from interrupting. "Aaron told me about how the Doctor acted around you. He's scared. He's scared about what you are going to do, and for him, he thought that creating some distance will perhaps stop you from doing anything stupid."

April snorts.

"But you need to accept our help, April. Jack Gruntler knew ages ago that we would have to relive the first few days of us being that this Island. He knew that we would need a second chance to set things straight. But that does not mean that we will win this battle. But it does mean that this second chance is our only chance at survival. Now if I could, I would've stopped you from volunteering for the day of Destruction. But I let you as it is your choice. But it was also my choice to volunteer with you," Jason laughs. "April, don't give me that look. I know your promise to the Doctor. You're saving his life as much as he is saving yours. But you seem to forget that you are constantly surrounded by help."

"I don't need help." April mumbles moodily.

"Yes you bloody well do," Jason says sternly. "We all need help. But you need to accept it. And just from the way you keep looking at me, I know that you don't agree to me helping you. You probably would have liked to do this on your own. But the truth is, you wouldn't be able to do everything by yourself. And don't blame yourself for my injured shoulder. That was bound to happen."

"Jason..." April starts but Jason shushes her.

"Please just listen to me and accept the help we are offering. Ten people in this village are creating a revolution to help destroy the Cytracik. I know you want to do everything yourself but you can't. You can't save everyone and then blame yourself when you can't, that's just ridiculous. Some people have the time they're meant to die. I know we can stop Joshua from being killed in that sudden attack. But there was nothing you can do to have stopped that man sacrificing himself at the festival for the revolution," Jason pauses again. "To believe in saving the universe you need to understand the dangers in your own environment. How can you save everything when you're blind to what's around you?"

April shakes her head. "I can't afford to think like that."

"Yes you can, April. You're just being stubborn," Jason purses his lips. "Please accept our help and know that we're doing this out of choice. And if we all die in the job, it is not your fault."

For a long moment, April and Jason stare at each other. April feeling rather lost for words. She can't deny that she feels touched at what Jason has said. She is not used to so many people going our their way to help her with something she never used to talk about before. But then what about all those times the Doctor went out his way to save her? He was the one who took her away from the shape shifter of Bruce Fey who would have eventually killed her in the end if he didn't. The Doctor introduced her to a life she could never have imagined. And despite their differences and all their bad times, the Doctor showed April what it is like to live her life. If it wasn't for the Doctor, she never would have met UNIT either.

Soon enough, their silence is broken by the sound of a horse drawn carriage drawing near. April immediately jumps to her feet, looking into the distance to where the sound is coming from. For a matter of fact, she knows that this must be the carriage that took herself, the Doctor, Max, Rose, Terry, Jack and Joseph to the party.

Jason ducks down and hides behind the wooden barrier at the front of the stalls. April does the same and they both peer over the top.

They watch the black carriage being drawn by two white stallions. Just as the carriage passes them, they catch a glimpse of everyone inside, trying their best to peer out the windows to see the area they are passing.

April inhales a sharp breath and ducks behind the wooden barrier, absolutely certain that she caught Jack Gruntler's eye as the carriage past right by them. She remains crouching to the ground and listens to the carriage as it passes through the arena and then completely disappears, leaving them in total silence once more.

"I think it's best that we should make a move now," Jason says in a low voice, still looking over the barrier in the direction the carriage went. "Can't quite shake off the feeling that we are being watched."

As Jason says this, April also gets the sense that she too is being watched by something unknown. Almost like there is something lurking in the darkness that is keeping its eye on them. "Me too." April says.

They both stand up and start to walk in the same direction that the carriage went. They walk at a quick pace as if hoping to out-walk something that is hot on their heels. There's a pathway just between the edge of the stalls and the stage at the end of the arena. Just as they reach it, April takes one more look back at the three torture poles in the middle of the arena. She then forces herself to turn away and follow Jason.

For a split moment as they walk down the path, they are surrounded by total darkness. Yet they continue walking. For a few moments, all they can hear is one another's breathing and their footsteps on the paving slabs beneath them.

But sooner or later, they are suddenly hit with the cold breeze. A gush of wind blows harshly their way as if they are in some sort of air tunnel. And before they know it, they find themselves at an opening.

They find themselves on a stone road running through hundreds of acres of land and just where the road ends, they can see Rodger Barratt's mansion. They can see hundreds of people standing at the bottom of the hundreds of steps leading to the front doors, excitedly awaiting the carriage that is now approaching the large fountain in the middle of the drive.

Jason takes one look at April with his eyebrows raised and April can't tell whether or not he is surprised or has been expecting Rodger Barratt's mansion to be over to the top like it is. But then anger flashes across his face, for he too realises that minus the colour of the walls, the house looks identical to Declan's house.

"We'd better take this then," Jason says as he fiddles with his belt. "Jack Gruntler gave it to me before I joined you back in time and said to only use to once. But I guess now is a good time," Jason pulls out two small tubes with a clear liquid inside and passes one to April. "It only lasts for a maximum of three hours but it'll make us invisible. I guess that is enough time for us to witness them announcing our names on the list of volunteers." Jason raises his tube as if in toast and then pours the clear liquid down his throat. Within seconds, April can no longer see him.

With a harsh scowl, April stares at the spot Jason stood only seconds before. "Jason?"

"I'm still here. Just drink it." Jason laughs.

April pulls off the stopper to the tube and is suddenly hit with the strong smell of coffee. At first the smell is a little overwhelming, but nevertheless, April drinks the clear liquid in one.

Her first reaction is to vomit the liquid back up again, but clutching onto her stomach and keeping her mouth clamped shut, she keeps the liquid down. But then the sensation to be sick quickly vanishes and April can see Jason again. Only this time he does not look quite fully there. Almost as if he is a ghost. When April looks down at her hands, she too notices that she also looks like a ghost.

Without meaning to, April lets out a surprise laugh. "I've always wanted to know what it would be like to be invisible."

Jason grins broadly. "Come on, buttercup. Let's enjoy this sensation while we've got it."

And with that, they start to walk down the road towards Rodger Barratt's mansion. April watches her past self step out of the black carriage and start to climb the hundreds of steps leading to the front door. Jason and April follow close behind them, no one in the crowd or any of the guards knowing they are there.

However as they climb half way up the stairs, Jack Gruntler turns around and looks directly at them and Jason with a knowing look on his face. April and Jason glance at one another. Of course Jack Gruntler knows they are there, following them as invisibles. How he always knows this things is almost impossible to say. But Jack knows that they are their future selves.

The party is exactly the same as how April remembers it. However, it feels like everything seems to be happening quicker than she remembers. Before she knows it, everyone has already split up. There is going to be some time before Jack Gruntler's speech where he announces the volunteers.

Jason and April pass through the mansion completely unnoticed and before they know it, there is a call for the speeches to start. As they make their way with the crowd into the main hall, April finds her past self looking rather agitated and angry. Is that how she looks all the time?

Lucien is up on the stage starting the speech just as Jason and April stand in the far corner of the room, just being able to see Lucien over the top of everyone's heads. April's heart drops ever so slightly as she sees the ten volunteers still sitting in the seats at the back of the stage. Joshua and Morgarn is still amongst them.

"Perhaps they still think they're doing the race." Jason says, almost as if reading April's mind.

Lucien's starts his speech. "Ladies and gentleman, we at the Major's house are honoured to invite you to this special night of festivities and celebration. Once every year, the Island unites together to bring you the Day of Destruction. Not only is this party a celebration for Heat Miles and all the work we have completed this past year to keep our community growing. But also for our loyal civilians who support us no matter what. And what a way to start the best time of year then to congratulate this years ten volunteers for the Day of Destruction!"

However, just as he says this, April's cannot help but notice the slight uneasy look on Lucien's face as he says this. When April first witnessed this speech, she remembers Lucien's voice being full of arrogance. However this time as he applauds the volunteers, the look on his face is evident to show that there is a mistake. April holds onto her breath, absolutely certain that the names of the ten volunteers were read out at this precise moment. But Lucien does not make any hint that that is what he is going to do. Instead he looks uneasily at the volunteers on the stage.

"Lucien knows," April says. "He knows that we have volunteered but are not on the stage." She is sure she can see Lucien looking at her past self through the crowd, remembering his burst of anger in the conversation previously when he remembered seeing them back in Manchester.

Then Rodger Barratt, his wife and his children is welcomed to the stage. Once again, April is filled with the feeling of hatred and anger, just from the look of this man. April feels sickened at the thought of these people cheering for him and supporting him in the things he does. She then starts to wonder what it would be like if she jumps up on stage and kills him there and then seeing as she is invisible.

April fumbles with her gun hidden in her jean pocket but then lets her hand drops to her side.

"I'm going to kill Rodger Barratt." April says in a monotone voice.

Jason turns his head to look at April, momentarily surprised at her words.

"Him and his army are the reason why I've suffered with everything since my parents death. And I feel like I'm going to keep suffering while he is still alive. Nothing good is going to come out of this battle when Rodger Barratt still lives. And if anyone is going to get the chance to assassinate him, I hope it's me."

Jason finds himself smiling as he turns his attention back to Rodger Barratt on the stage. "Now you're talking April. This is what we have been hoping for."

April and Jason look at each other. Jason smiles but April does not return one, knowing full well that she meant everything she said. They both then turn their attention back to the speech.

Rodger Barratt says everything word for word like before, however, this time, rather than talking about the Cytracik and announcing that he is the founder of it, he turns his attention to the volunteers.

April's heartbeat quickens as he does this. Why is he changing the subject? She remembers that after announcing to everyone about the Cytracik and that there are aliens on their way to take ownership of it, panic erupts in the mansion. She remembers that that is the time when she decided to leave the party to get to the Black Lighthouse.

"I believe that in the past day, there have been a slight adjustment to the list of this year's volunteer's to the Day of Destruction." Rodger Barratt says.

The ten volunteers all suddenly look rather angry as they all exchange glances and whisper to one another. Morgarn is the only volunteer who looks unmoved by this piece of news.

"I would like to say that Joshua Pickard and Morgarn will no longer be taking part in the Day of Destruction this year..." Rodger Barratt ignores the angry shouts from the volunteers behind him. "For they have been replaced by two new volunteers who have put their names down in the past twenty-fours hours. And we have confirmed it. These last two positions have been taken up by Captain Jason Hoffman and April Hollerford."

There is a murmur of confused voices around the room.

"No way!" Kace shouts at Rodger Barratt.

"And I would like to make this final. There will be no more additional changes to the list of volunteers."

April's eyes dart across the room and she suddenly spots Aaron Brimikawood, keeping his head low, but pushing himself through the crowd towards the stage. April's scowl deepens, as she does not remember Aaron being at the party, but thought that he must have shown his face after she left.

April then finds the Doctor and Rose amongst the crowd, both staring up at Rodger Barratt with a look of horror across both their faces. But soon enough, the Doctor's face flushes red with anger.

April then looks at Rodger Barratt who is looking directly at them. Not her past self which is currently trying to find an exit, but her current self. April holds his stare. They are invisible but he can see them.

There is a hint of a smirk across Rodger Barratt's face as he raises his flute of champagne to both Jason and April as if congratulating them.


	26. XXV - For better or for worse

**XXV  
For better or for worse**

_The Island  
__The arena  
__The last day_

The rest of the events of the party continues as it did before. April suddenly feels a sense of pride as she watches Aaron jump up on the stage and threaten to shoot Rodger Barratt. However this is then interrupted by the army of Cybermen crashing through the windows. Then eventually a small handful of people pull at the zip in their foreheads and the Slitheen shed themselves from their human skins.

By this point, April and Jason start to realise that the clear liquid that is keeping them invisible, is starting to fade. To their luck, they manage to escape the mansion without being seen by anyone. However, April takes hold of Jason's arm just before they pass through the doorway. One second they are in Rodger Barratt's mansion, and then the next they find themselves passing through the round doorway into the main console room of the Tardis, almost as if they have just come from one of the other rooms.

The Tardis lets out a welcome rumble at their appearance. April suddenly feels at ease at the sight of the console room, which has always been a welcoming sight.

"Wasn't expecting to come back here." Jason says as he looks around the Tardis.

"My past self is just standing outside these doors," April replies as she walks over to the console and starts to press some buttons by the small television screen. "We're just about to be reunited."

April finds herself smiling weakly at the memory of seeing Jason again for the first time. Her emotions being a strange mixture of confusion and happiness.

"And what a happy sight I must have been."Jason laughs as he moves to stand next to April, looking down at the blank screen.

April then flicks the switch at the side of the screen and instantly they can see what's right outside the Tardis doors. It's the early signs of morning and April stands there with her arms folded tightly across her chest as she looks out at the beach. The top of the Black Lighthouse can be seen just over the edge of the cliff. Eventually a tired and rather harassed looking Doctor approaches April. They watch their silent conversation, both of them looking like they are at a loss.

Then eventually on the screen, the Doctor and April embrace, holding onto each other tightly. April suddenly feels just how she did when this happened for the first time. She suddenly feels safe and somewhat relaxed, all the anger inside of her slowly subsiding.

April and Jason remain silent as they watch the Doctor and April pull away from each other. Then April's own words suddenly ring in her mind: _There's two and a half thousand people in this village, Doctor, and only one of us can save them_.

And then the Black Lighthouse flashes for the first time. Jason's face suddenly turns ghostly pale, as he was unaware that this happened. Then all the calming emotions April felt seconds ago when watching her past self and the Doctor make up with an embrace, instantly vanish and are taken over by the feeling of dread.

April and Jason leave the Tardis when they are sure that both April and the Doctor are nowhere in sight. The air is chilly as they step out, the grass on the top of the cliff blowing in the wind. As they see past April disappear behind the Black Lighthouse, April thinks about where they are now. It is their final day to make sure that chaos does not erupt. It is early in the morning and she is just about to reunite with Jason and discover that the Daleks are the next to have the power to open the Cytracik. But this is also the day the revolution is attacked by the new aliens that will arrive later this day. So they have time to find out what the revolution wanted to do at that time and stop Joshua from being killed.

However it has not yet occurred to April what is going to happen when the job is done and they have reunited with everyone else. How will she know that their choices have made much of an impact? And will everything be okay in the end? April hopes that the aliens that arrive to the Island will not make a huge appearance. They have changed the signals from the Heat Miles base to the Black Lighthouse, so hopefully the aliens will fly this way.

Jason and April sit at the edge of the cliff with their legs dangling over the edge, and look out to the waves crashing into the shore.

"What now?" Jason asks.

"I guess we just wait." April sighs. She pulls out the sonic screwdriver and twiddles it in her hands.

"So this is what you always saw in your nightmare?" Jason says quietly as he scans the beach. "I didn't have much time to take any of this in when I first arrived here. All I saw was the inside of the Black Lighthouse."

"I always saw it from down there," April says as she points down at the moss covered rocks just below their dangling feet. "I'd see myself standing there looking across the beach. It wasn't until the nightmare changed that I saw it from this angle." She looks out at the horizon. There is nothing ahead to indicate another land elsewhere. All that can be seen is where the sky more or less meets the sea in the far distance.

They sit there for what feels like hours. And because the Tardis is still sitting there behind them, the Doctor hasn't yet come to get them from inside the Black Lighthouse. However, April is sure that she wasn't in the lighthouse for this long.

It is now day break and April can feel Jason shivering beside her.

April glances down at the sonic screwdriver which feels warm in her hands. Then with a scowl, she lifts the sonic screwdriver and switches it on so that the blue light at the end shines up to the sky. She reads the signals and immediately jumps back onto her feet.

"We need to go now!" April says in a slight panicked voice. "You happen to have any more of that stuff to make us invisible?"

Jason frowns in confusion. "Err, no. What did you read?"

"I guess it's time for us to help the revolution in that fight. You do want to save Joshua, right?"

Jason does not hesitate before standing up. However they only take a few steps away before there is a loud thud. The familiar and somewhat calming sound of the Tardis fills their ears as a harsh wind blows around them.

As an instant reaction, both April and Jason drop to the floor, afraid that they are only going to be caught. But the Tardis only disappears before flying to the Black Lighthouse to save the April and Jason inside.

"We'd better make a quick move." Jason says in a low voice.

With that, they start to hurriedly walk across the top of the cliff, moving further and further away from the beach. They pass through the thick mist that separates the village from the beach. However when they escape the mist and the view of the village is clear, April and Jason suddenly drop dead on their feet.

The sky is still covered in a thick layer of clouds, yet everything seems darker. Only moments ago, it was early morning, but now it looks as if it is getting on for late afternoon.

Jason looks down at his watch. "We're shortly running out of time."

"What?!" April snaps.

"I don't know how but time is speeding up," Jason then starts to pick up his speed. "We've only got a few hours before the revolution will start that fight."

April stares at Jason who stops walking to look at her. They know that time must have past by in the minutes it took them to run through the mist.

"April, we need to get a move on!"

"But what about the first alien spaceship that arrives?" April groans before taking out the sonic screwdriver and scanning the area around them. However, she lowers her hand holding onto the sonic screwdriver as she reads the signal. Her brow furrows together in a harsh scowl. "They're already here." April says in a quiet voice.

"Eh?" Jason steps closer to April.

"Those aliens. They've already arrived. They're..." April shines the sonic screwdriver towards the mist and then drops her hand. "We did it!" She suddenly exclaims. "Their spaceship has landed on the beach!"

Jason looks down at the village below them. Everything seems calm as if everyone is just getting on with their day to day life. But in the seconds he looks over the village, the sky becomes darker again, almost as if another hour has just gone by in the passing minutes that they have been standing there.

"April, we _really_ need to go now." Jason warns.

"What do you know about the fight?" April asks sternly as they start walking towards the steep pathway that takes them down the side of the cliff.

"Not a lot. You'd have to ask Will. All I know is that they were fighting some aliens. Whether that is the new arrivals or other species that has been hibernating here I don't know. But they fought at that arena we went to."

For a split moment, April's heart gives a lurch. She does not want to return to that arena. However she knows that she has no choice.

"Then lets not waste any more time." With that April takes hold of Jason's arm and she takes a step forward. For a second, it feels as if the whole Island spins around them as they stay rooted to the ground. However as they take one more step, they find themselves back in the arena which seems to be alive in the light of the afternoon.

In the seconds that follow, April is surprised that this worked. She always knew that you can get to wherever you wish to go to just by walking through any random door, but she never attempted to move from one place to the other just by taking a step forward. But to her luck, it worked.

April and Jason stand back-to-back as they observe the arena around them. Everything looks so different and less sinister than it did during the night. The tall office buildings around them look less threatening, and April gets the feeling like she is back in central London.

And then this area suddenly makes sense to April. "I suppose this is what Heat Miles will be using as their base after this battle," April says. "I suppose this is their ego in believing that they are going to win or something."

"Well at least they are coming prepared," Jason says and then his voice becomes sinister. "Draw your weapon."

April pulls out her gun and reloads, Jason does the same. April notices that she is low in ammo, but says nothing about it. Instead she holds her gun firmly in both her hands and looks around the arena, ready for an attack of the aliens. She wonders to herself if the revolution group were expecting this fight, or if they just came out here to find out more about this arena and were ambushed.

April and Jason are silent for a while as they observe the empty arena.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A voice from the far corner of the arena shouts across to them, the strong male voice echoing around the arena.

Without a second thought, April and Jason immediately turn around and raise their arms above their heads in surrender, however they are only met by the revolution. Orion, the tallest of the lot, stands in front of the others, his gun raised and pointed directly at them. Behind him are the other volunteers: Zane, Buddy, Katheryn, Kace, Blake, Billie and a somewhat intimidated looking Joshua.

Jason curses under his breath. "Captain Jason Hoffman from UNIT," Jason replies. "And this is April Hollerford."

"The two bastards that are joining us for the battle!" One of them hisses under their breath, but their voice is still carried across the arena.

Orion, however, still does not lower is gun. April has to remind herself that their first meeting was in fact after this battle when they were trying to save Joshua's life. But surely the revolution would know about April at least.

"Lower your weapons." Orion orders.

April stares at Jason.

"Just do as he says." Jason mutters through the side of his mouth before he lowers his gun and places it on the ground. April does the same with evident hesitation. Somehow, there is something about Orion April feels like she cannot quite trust, for he was the one who was making the man to try and cause havoc back at the festival.

"Put your weapons out of reach." Orion shouts at them, his gun still aimed directly at them.

Jason groans and kicks both his and April's guns to the side so that they slide a few feet away from them.

"So much for not being seen." April mutters under her breath.

"I'm only going to ask you one more time. Who are you?" Orion demands.

"I thought we already clarified that?" Jason shouts back. "Do you want to see my badge?"

"Then what are you doing here?" Orion shouts. "I didn't see you at the Major's party."

"That's because we weren't." Jason replies calmly.

"What are you doing here?" Orion asks one more time.

Jason shuffles awkwardly on his feet as he hesitates. "For the same reason as you are."

There is a long pause of silence as for a moment, no one seems to know what to do. The truth is that they are all here to fight, but whether or not the revolution know that a fight is about to happen, neither April or Jason are aware. But eventually there seems to be movement amongst the revolution group, and then out steps Ellis Lustworve and Will Sullivan.

It takes April a moment to remember that she is yet to have that conversation with Will where they make up. Yet the look on his face as his eyes lock onto hers leaves April with a horrible crushing feeling at the pit of her stomach. He looks at her as if he doesn't even know her.

Jason clenches his fists as Ellis walks over to Orion and tries to push his heavy, muscular arm down. It has been a while since him and Will have seen each other face-to-face. And he can remember that the last time wasn't a pleasant moment, for he was arguing with the rest of UNIT about starting a revolution on the Island. This was then followed by him leaving the base and not hearing from him for months after.

"It's okay," Ellis says. "They're on our side. They're not part of Heat Miles. They'll help us," Ellis then looks over to Jason and April. "Wasn't expecting to see the two of you so soon." He calls out as he takes a step closer to them.

He knows. April and Jason know that Ellis is fully aware of what they are doing. That they are in the very near future and that their past selves are elsewhere on the Island. Ellis must know that they are trying to fix what went wrong in their first few days on the Island, but like Jason constantly said to April, they are still trying to not be seen by anyone.

But now they have been caught.

"We weren't expecting to see the two of you till later this evening. I think Jack Gruntler was going to invite you for tea to have a bit of a catch up," Ellis continues. "Clearly you both came here because you know something we don't?"

April notices the way Will looks from Ellis to her and Jason suspiciously, almost as if he is trying to figure out exactly what Ellis means.

"We know no more than you do, Ellis," Jason calls. "But we have done the best we could have. No havoc should be caused. All is clear." It is hard for Jason to say the right words without giving too much away. But Ellis seems to understand every word he has said.

"Right, I see," he nods his head. "I'm glad to hear of it," he then turns to look back at the rest of the revolution. "All is clear. We'd better make a move on before-"

Suddenly, before Ellis can finish his words, a flesh coloured creature that resembles a monkey with no fur, suddenly leaps out from behind the stalls and attaches itself to Will. Will yells out in pain as the alien claws at the side of his neck, but Orion shoots the creature dead.

Then without another passing moment, they are suddenly ambushed by a large army of these monkey-like aliens.

April rushes over to their guns on the ground and throws Jason's to him, who catches it easily. "We need to keep Joshua alive!" April snaps before shooting down the creature that comes hurtling towards her. To her luck the creature is dead within seconds of being shot, but the fact that she is low in ammo will not do well in her favour.

However, before April runs to help the rest of the revolution fight against these aliens, she catches the last words Jason says to Ellis.

"You know what to do."

Ellis nods before he shoots down another creature fighting to get to April. There is an overwhelming amount of these small vicious creatures that throw themselves at everyone, biting and clawing away at their limbs. One or two members scream in agony as a creature clamps it jaw around their calf, or hurls them down to the ground. But April keeps her eye on Joshua, helping him and shooting down every creature that comes his way.

However, as they fight, April is fully aware that Ellis always fights near her. And on numerous occasions, he saves April's back by shooting down a creature that comes to attack her when she isn't looking. April says nothing about this but can't shake off the feeling that Jason has given Ellis orders to keep her alive in the battle. And for some reason, she does not like this. They have to keep Joshua alive.

Billie screams out in pain as a creature jumps up and gnaws on her lower arm. April raises her gun and shoots the creature through its belly. The creature instantly releases its grip and falls to the ground, dead.

"Cheers." Billie says as she attempts to cover the large gash in her arm with the sleeve on her top.

Jason stamps down on the head of one of the creatures, crushing its skull underneath his foot. He then takes one look around the arena and sees that there is a never ending army of these aliens coming at them from all directions.

"Shit." Jason mutters under his breath, wondering how on Earth nearly everyone from the revolution walked away from this fight alive. He starts to wonder if the revolution was prepared last time but maybe their appearance was a distraction this time around. But not wanting to delay the battle even further, Jason realises that he has no choice but to call for help. He raises his hand to his fake Captain badge pinned to his chest. It is a replica of his real badge that Jack gave to him moments before he joined April back in time, giving him the order to only press it when things seemed hopeless.

And right now, things seem hopeless.

Jason shoots down another alien as he presses down hard on his badge. Jason, at first, only expected a silent signal to be sent to Aaron, alerting him of his whereabouts to call for help. However, he did not expect large sound waves to erupt from his badge and kill all the creatures close by.

And yet these creatures continue to appear and come hurtling towards them. April desperately tries her best to keep Joshua safe, while Ellis is not too far away from her.

Everyone can feel the strain on their bodies as they fight against these creatures that continue to come running towards them at every angle. And yet there is no show of them slowing down. The panic starts to rise in April as she can see Joshua really struggling to fight.

He shoots down one creature but when he comes face to face with another creature – to his horror – his weapon is out of bullets. April notices this the moment the creature leaps onto his stomach, pushing Joshua down to the ground.

"NO!" April screams and she shoots down the creature without hesitation. The creature lies limply across Joshua and he struggles under the weight of it. She rushes to his side and pushes the creature off him. "Are you okay?" April asks in an evident panicked voice. But to her luck, Joshua is alive and breathing. There is no trace of a gash in his stomach.

"I'm fine." Joshua snaps with a frown, looking somewhat embarrassed.

However April feels like she wants to cry with relief. She is sure that that would have been the creature that caused his death. However, before she has the chance to get back up on her feet, or even help Joshua up, something heavy and slimy attaches itself onto her, knocking her sideways. And for a moment, all she is aware of is the blinding pain in her upper arm as a creature sinks its teeth into her skin.

April cries out in pain and attempts to push the creature of her. Somehow she has managed to drop her gun as she fell and she cannot see where it is. But soon the creature climbs on top of her. It's long arms reach down to her and its small, spidery hands clamp around her throat.

"April, no!" Will's voice, somewhere over to her left, is so full of fear, it only makes April panic ever further.

She scrabbles away at the creature, trying to pull it off her, but the creature is too strong and heavy as it holds onto her throat tighter. Yet seconds later there is a gunshot and the creature suddenly loosens its grip. It becomes limp and light as its body rolls sideways off her.

However, April feels a strong arm pull her up onto her feet and she feels herself in Will Sullivan's arms once more. And then his lips are firmly pressed against hers as he holds onto her as if his life depends on it. It takes April a second to register what is happening before she allows herself to kiss him back. But the kiss is very short and he pulls away from her.

"Fuck!" He hisses before turning away and killing more creatures around them.

April tries to shoot another but realises that she is out of ammo. And now she knows that she is screwed. Angrily, she throws her gun to the side, which incidentally smacks one of the creatures directly in its face. She pulls out the only two things she has left: a small dagger and the sonic screwdriver.

She quickly scans the arena around them and is relieved to see that Joshua is still alive and safe. Luckily her reflexes are quick as she slashes the throat of one of the creatures that again, throws itself at her.

Suddenly, there is a loud crack and UNIT have appeared in the arena. Aaron, Sarah-Jane, Alic, Rex, Martha, Ireen, Declan Hollerford – and to April's surprise – Max, Rose, Terry and the Doctor, are now all fighting. Although, seeing the appearance of her brother, Rose, Terry and the Doctor, April is suddenly filled with dread.

They seem to have a higher chance at fighting against these creatures. However, because April is so distracted by the arrival of everyone else, she does not expect a creature to suddenly dig its teeth into her right ankle. Just from the pain, April falls to the ground, but still manages to stab the creature right through the top of its skull as she does so. But the second her knees hit the ground, someone takes hold of her elbow and hauls her back onto her feet.

She is then aware of her parallel father standing there, looking at her sternly in her eyes. Then without further hesitation, he shoves another gun into her hands.

"I'm not losing you again," Declan snaps. "Now get this battle over and done with." He turns and then continues to fight.

Despite the pain in her ankle, and feeling the blood seeping into her shoe, and the gash in her arm, April hobbles her way through the fight, killing as many of the creatures as she can. But like they always have done, UNIT seems to outsmart the aliens, and there seems to be less of them the longer they fight.

But after a while, everyone can see that the left-over aliens are starting to retreat.

"Don't let them fall back!" Aaron orders before shooting another creature that tries to run away from him.

For a moment, April stands back and observes the scene and everyone still fighting the left-over creatures. Joshua, to her relief, is still alive. But before she knows it, she finds both Jason and the Doctor running up to her. The Doctor does not look best pleased at all. In fact, April is somewhat frightened just by the furious and somewhat scared look on his face.

"Get out of here!" The Doctor orders, shoving Jason and April away.

"What?" April splutters, not quite comprehending his sudden anger.

"You've really messed this part up! Leave! Please, you two just get out of here before it gets worse!" The Doctor's voice suddenly seems more pleading than angry as he tries pushing them towards the podium. But April is confused as to why he is so angry. What have they done wrong? Is it because they have been seen by the others? Or is the Doctor still angry about them being volunteers for the Day of Destruction?

Then, without anyone being remotely prepared for what happens next, the creatures suddenly spurt wings out from their backs and fly into the air, away from the arena, clearly being defeated.

The Doctor continues to push April away. "You shouldn't be here! Please just go!"

But their attention is suddenly drawn away from leaving as Ireen screams and she calls out for Alic. The Doctor turns around as he sees that one of the creatures has grabbed Alic by the shoulders and is dragging him up into the air. Alic tries to best to free himself from the clasp of the creature, but he is only being taken worryingly higher and higher into the air.

And then the creature, who is now nearly as high as one of the tall buildings, releases its grip on Alic who falls down at a fast pace.

At first no one know what to do as they watch Alic helplessly fall closer and closer to the ground, losing consciousness as he does so. Inevitably falling to his death.

But then Declan is the first to move. He throws a circular disc that skims the surface of the ground that Alic is just hurtling towards. The disc seems to have defied gravity ever so slightly, slowing down the rate of his fall.

But Alic still hits the ground harshly with a loud crack of broken bones, leaving him unconscious on the ground.

There is a horrible moment of silence as everyone stares down at Alic's very still body. But soon Will is by his side, holding Alic's head in his lap.

"He's still breathing! Jones, get here now!" Will cries desperately.

Martha, who seems to suddenly realise what has happened, rushes to Alic's aid and so does Max. And soon enough everyone does the same.

Jason is speechless, but he still pulls April backwards who looks on the verge of being sick.

"Let's go." Jason pleads.

April forces herself to turn away from the scene. Just thinking about what the Doctor had said to her, she can't quite shake off the feeling that this has happened because of her. But where did she go wrong?

They walk a few steps away from the scene, heading towards the pathway between the stage and the stalls. However they stop abruptly as they find two tall figures standing in their way. These creatures are covered head-to-toe in black robes with a large black hood concealing their faces.

A bitter, cold feeling sweeps over Jason and April, just like it always used to do back in the parallel world when they came across the Nobody's.

But here they are again. Two Nobody's stand directly in front of them, giving them nothing but the bitterly cold air.

The scene in the middle of the arena suddenly seems so far away and unreachable. But Jason and April are rooted to the spot, unable to move.

And that is when a rather ragged looking Monroe Setzik steps out from behind the Nobody's. He wears a faded pair of grey jeans, a white – almost yellowing – t-shirt and a black blazer. His brown hair is dirty and straw-like, falling into his eyes, and a thick stubble sits across his face. There are ageing lines all across his face. His cheeks are hollow like he has not eaten for a while. There is a manic look in his eyes that wasn't there before. A manic look that could only be caused from hundreds of years being trapped alone in a soundproof room.

Monroe makes a sudden movement. And soon enough, April and Jason black out.

And then there is nothing.


	27. XXVI - The white cell

**XXVI  
The white cell**

_The Island_

The first thing April is aware of when she slowly comes back to her senses, are the distant voices around her. There is a male voice saying something in angry tones. There is some distant humming in response. She is aware of the sound of someone, or something whimpering close to her. But for a long moment, April feels like she cannot quite open her eyes yet for there is a blinding pain on the right side of her head.

She can taste blood in her mouth.

April remains motionless as she tries to get her bearings with her eyes closed. She knows that she is sitting down on a cool, tiled flooring with her back up against something. She can feel a small twinge in her left knee as if her legs have been bent in a funny way for a while. She wriggles her toes, just to make sure that she can still feel them.

The voices around her flutter through her ears, but the words seem rather incoherent. April adjusts herself ever so slightly to make herself a little more comfortable before, hoping that she isn't going to be seen.

"April?" A voice whispers weakly from somewhere close by. "April, are you awake?" The voice is then followed by a painful groan and April instantly recognises the voice of Jason.

April's eyes flicker open, but she is immediately blinded by the brightness of the room. She screws her eyes tightly against the bright lights around her, but she forces herself to take in her surroundings, desperate to find Jason.

However all April can see is bright white light everywhere. And a few feet away from her, she can see a fuzzy image of someone lying in a heap on the floor.

Eventually April's eyes adjust to the brightness of the light and soon finds herself in a completely white square cell. The ceiling, walls and the flooring are completely made up of brilliant white tiles, apart from the odd splatter of blood here and there. The cell isn't particularly large, but there is no one else in the room other than herself and Jason. There is one large grey, iron door directly ahead of her.

However, Jason looks worse for wear, as if he has been attacked while April was unconscious. His left shoulder has once again popped out of his socket and it looks as if his leg has also been broken as it bends in an unnatural way. There is blood all over his face, and he looks as if he is struggling to hold up his own weight on his elbows.

Just from the horrific sight of Jason, April starts to panic.

"What happened to you?" April cries, desperately wanting to crawl over to him, but quickly realises that her wrists have been bound behind her, and her legs are too numb to move.

Jason tries to quieten April, but he is too weak to say anything.

"Is this Rodger Barratt's doing?" April asks in a panicked voice as she attempts, and fails to free her wrists from what feels like rope. But Jason weakly shakes his head no before spitting out some blood, followed by a loose tooth.

The iron door suddenly swings open and in steps Monroe, followed by two Nobody's. Just from the manic look of Monroe with his unkempt hair that still falls into his eyes and his hunched shoulder look, April can not quite believe that the pain inflicted on Jason was down to Monroe. Surely that is something that Rodger Barratt would do.

Monroe lets out a shriek of a laughter as he sees April. "Ah she's awake!" He gleams. "Here to join the party now, are you?"

April says nothing, but tries to kick feeling back into her legs. She only panics even more the closer Monroe steps towards her. April whimpers in fright when he kneels down by her side and runs a cold finger down the side of her face.

"That's a nasty cut you've got on your face there, my love. I suppose you'll live." Monroe says rather unsympathetically.

"What happened to you?" April growls through gritted teeth.

Monroe smiles broadly, showing off his yellowing and cracked teeth. "Hundreds of years of torture. But I have to say so myself, it has done me a favour!" Monroe then grips onto April's face by her jaw, tilting her head in different angles as if studying her face. April whimpers in his grip, wanting to hit him and get back at him for what he has done to Jason. But Monroe only looks down at her in mock amusement.

"So where is it?" Monroe demands in a low voice.

"Where is what?" April hisses back.

"April, don't tell him." Jason calls weakly.

Monroe's grip on April's face tightens as he turns back to Jason. "Shut up you! You've had your chance," he then turns his attention back to April. "Now I can destroy you like I have done with Jason. Or you can make your life simpler by just telling me the truth. Tell me where the Doctor is hiding the Cytracik."

"The Doctor no longer has it." April responds sternly.

There is a hint of panic that flashes across Monroe's eyes. "You liar! I'm giving you the chance to tell me the truth one more time!" He releases his grip on April and stands up, his hands twitching every so often as he moves, almost like a reaction to touching something hot. "If you fail to tell me the truth, then you might as well at least tell me about this revolution."

April stares at Monroe for a while, feeling ever so slightly optimistic over the fact that Monroe does not know as much about this battle as she does. She remembers being in a situation like this under the ice in Antarctica, only with Peter Bursnell. "Slightly behind the times are we, Monroe?" April snaps as confidently as she can pretend.

"April..." Jason's weak voice croaks which suddenly angers Monroe. He looks back at one of the Nobody's who raises its metallic hands. There is a sudden invisible force coming from the Nobody as Jason suddenly curls into himself in agony. Yet he is so weak, he can't even scream properly.

"Stop it!" April screams.

Monroe laughs but then waves at the Nobody, indicating for it to stop. The Nobody drops its hands, ceasing the force that tortures Jason. Jason whimpers quietly as he shakes violently on the floor.

April makes a move towards Jason, but there is suddenly a force that pushes April up against the cold wall behind her. "What do you want?" She snaps.

"I want you to tell me the truth, Ice Girl," Monroe spits his words out like venom. "I suppose you are against Heat Miles as much as I am. And I want revenge from what they have done to me. All I need is to get my hands on the Cytracik." As Monroe speaks, April notices the way his eyes flicker across the room every so often, almost as if he can see something in this cell that she cannot.

"But why are you torturing us?"

"Because you are utterly useless to me. And so is he. It wouldn't matter if you are dead. But because you are here, you must know about the Cytracik and the revolution."

"Don't tell him!" Jason groans before being kicked hard in the stomach by Monroe.

"Fine," April declares through gritted teeth. "Kill us. If we're that useless to you then there is no use for us to be here alive."

Monroe looks at April as he stretches his neck, turning his head from side to side as he does so. However is eyes are vacant. They glass over as they fall down to the ground. For the seconds that follow, Monroe looks like he is concentrating on something. Then after this brief moment, he lifts his head and stares at April.

"Tell me all you know, or we are going to take this the hard way." Monroe growls. He clenches his fists tightly that seem to shake, almost as if in shock.

But April shakes her head. "I refuse."

"Then the hard way it is." Monroe pulls out a gun and points it directly to Jason's heart.

Jason lays there on the floor with his wrists bound together, looking up at Monroe dead in the eye. All of a sudden, Jason looks braver and stronger than he did a couple of seconds ago. But his jaw is tight and he does not blink as he stares at Monroe.

"No!" April yells the moment Monroe draws his gun and finds herself starting to cry hysterically. "Please, no! Fucking hell, don't!"

Monroe looks exasperated as he turns his attention back to April, yet his gun is still pointing directly at Jason. "Then just tell me the bloody truth! Tell me everything, Ice Girl, so I can destroy this Island and have the Cytracik for myself." Monroe's voice rises in hysteria as he speaks and the hand holding the gun trembles.

"Destroy this Island?"

"Along with the Doctor," Monroe eyes glisten as he knows that he has struck a core with April. "If you can tell me about the Cytracik, then I might have a higher chance at also killing the Doctor."

"Why do you want to kill the Doctor?" April shouts.

Monroe lowers his aim from Jason and before April knows it, Monroe is by her side again. He somehow has moved immensely fast to get by her side. His face is very close to her.

"Because there is not a single creature in this universe that does not wish for the death of the Doctor!" Monroe barks, spitting saliva in April's face as he does so, making her flinch and whimper closer to the wall. "The Doctor thinks he is all high and mighty but he is not. If there are two things this whole universe wants, it would be told have the power over the Cytracik and to see the Doctor die," Monroe grimaces. "And I'm happy to kill him myself."

"Please, stop this," April begs, her voice almost a whisper. "I know this isn't you wanting this!"

Monroe's face turns stonily cold. "I see." With that he grabs hold of April's ankle, that is bloodied from one of the aliens attacking her, and pulls her roughly so that she slides forward and is now lying flat on her back. April screams as he does this. Monroe clambers on top of her, digging his knee into her ribs and holding her down by her shoulders.

April cries under Monroe's grip, memories of Bruce Fey attacking her flashing across his mind.

"If you won't tell me about the Cytracik," Monroe growls. "Then you can tell me how you destroyed the Nobody's lair under the ice in Antarctica."

April shakes her head, her emotions too overcome with fear that she cannot think straight. "I don't know. Please. I didn't do anything!" She cries.

"Don't be so stupid!" Monroe shouts in her ear as he pulls off the ropes that were binding her wrist together, burning her skin as he does so. "You knew exactly what you were doing! My battle would have won if it wasn't for your trick."

"Please." April whimpers as Monroe holds her arms down to the cold flooring, out to her side. April then screams out in pain, withering sternly under Monroe's body weight as she feels him stabbing the base of her arm, just below her elbow with a dagger.

April's scream's echo deafeningly across the cell as she can feel the blood dripping down her arm. Monroe stabs the dagger in deeper before drawing it out. With that, she feels one of his hands clamp onto the side of her head as he holds it firmly against the flooring. She can feel as if her skull is being crushed under the weight of his hand. She continues to cry out helplessly as he does so.

Jason remains lying there, watching this happen, unable to move and help her.

Eventually Monroe is satisfied with the amount of pain he has inflicted on April for he removes his hand and moves away from her. He stands back up and walks to the other side of the cell, holding his gun in his hands.

April remains lying on her back, her head to the side as she looks blankly to the wall opposite her, feeling like she cannot move. However, it is the sound of a gun being reloaded that draws April's attention back to Monroe. She shifts her body ever so slightly so that Monroe, Jason and the two Nobody's are in her line of vision.

Monroe turns around so that he is facing April and Jason. He holds his gun in his two hands, looking down at it as if contemplating on whether or not he wishes to use it.

"Ice Girl," Monroe says in a calm and matter-of-fact voice. "Are you, or are you not going to tell me all you know about this battle? Because I know you know everything. If you tell me, the Captain will live and we can move on. Remain silent and you will have killed him."

April's eyes fills with tears and she manages to shake her head. She tries to say the word 'no', but the voice just croaks into something incoherent.

Monroe sighs heavily. "Well then. You can spend the rest of your life knowing that you killed Captain Jason Hoffman."

And then Monroe does it.

He lifts his gun and pulls the trigger. The bang echoes across the cell as the bullet soars through the air and hits Jason, right in his heart. For a split second, Jason looks at April, the look of betrayal, or disappointment, before he rolls on his back.

Jason does not move again.

April screams manically as she looks over at Jason's lifeless body. There is now a gaping hole in the left side of his chest where the bullet pierced his heart.

"Jason, no!" She sobs hysterically as she scoots her way across the cell, not caring about the pain in her arm where Monroe stabbed her. She eventually reaches him and just from the sight of him makes April want to be sick. His face is grey and his eyes, now black and emotionless just vacantly stare up at the ceiling.

Holding onto Jason's dead body, April looks up at Monroe. "Why do you do this?" She cries angrily. "Why do you let them do this to you?"

Monroe knows that she means the shape shifters and this battle but he just carelessly shrugs his shoulders. He twiddles his gun in his hands. "Here's the thing. Tell the villagers they have a chance of survival, it'll give them something to root for. Tell them the truth that no one is going to survive by the end of this, you'll kill them, just like you killed him."

"I did not kill Jason!" April screams.

"Yes you did. Well I did the act for you. But you had every power to stop me. I guess you're not as loyal to your loved ones as you think you are. But thanks to my own mind. I do have the power to read yours."

April stares at Monroe, seething with rage. "What?"

"I can read your mind, April. So thanks for letting me know all about the revolution Sullivan has started with this year's volunteers. And that the Daleks are apparently the next to open the Cytracik. But like I just said. The Day of the Destruction is just a way to make the villages think they have a life and it gives them hope. But the truth is they are only alive because of the Cytracik," Monroe shrugs theatrically and laughs manically. "But I guess I'll see you in the woods for the race. Someone will have to replace him."

Monroe heads towards the iron door along with the two Nobody's, but he then halts. "You'll probably have an hour to cuddle this corpse before Heat Miles are alerted of his death. They'll be taking his body." For a split second, there is a look of guilt ridden across Monroe's face.

April is left speechless as Monroe leaves the cell with the Nobody's, shutting her alone in the cell with Jason's body.

April stares at the door for a long while before she looks down at Jason's face that was always full of life and laughter. Her tears rolls down her face and splatter onto his grey face.

"I'm sorry, Jason. I'm so sorry I didn't do a better job." She sobs quietly, her body shaking. She remembers the seconds before they collided with Monroe, the Doctor pushed her away saying that she has messed up. Now because of her, Alic is badly injured from the fall, and she is the reason why Jason Hollerford has been killed.

She killed her best friend. The one person who always guaranteed to make her laugh and be by her side. The first person to make her feel at home at UNIT.

April gently closes Jason's eyes before leaning down and kissing him fully on his cold lips. When she eventually pulls away, she strokes her fingers across his face.

"I will end this battle, Jason. And I will see you soon. I promise." April's voice cracks as she says this but she looks down at his face, still hoping that his eyes will open. But they never do. And the more she stares at him, the more the hysteria inside of her builds up.

And then in a sudden rush of anger and revenge, April rips out the UNIT dagger from Jason's belt and throws it across the cell. The dagger soars through the air as fast as the bullet did, and catches itself right in the wall opposite her.

April screams one more time, sobbing uncontrollably as she bangs her fist roughly against her legs and stomach, wanting to cause as much pain to herself as she possibly can. But her body is too weak.

April eventually falls forward and rests her head on Jason's unmoving chest, trying to avoid the hole where his heart once was. And she just lays there, praying for Jason to come alive again.


	28. XXVII - Oranges and lemons

**XXVII  
Oranges and Lemons**

_The Island  
__The Woods_

For some odd reason, April is suddenly reminded of a memory from her childhood. There isn't much she remembers of it other than the pure happiness and joy she felt at the time.

She finds herself in the middle of a wood in broad daylight. It's the height of summer and the sun shines through the emerald green leaves on the trees. The ground beneath her feet is covered in a beautiful layer of grass with the odd, colourful wild flower here and there.

April sees a younger version of herself running through the grass that tickles her ankles. She is no older than seven or eight years. She wears three quarter-length denim shorts and a bright yellow top. Her trainers are smeared with mud. April's long black hair is tied up in a ponytail and falls down her back. She runs into a small clearing in the woods and stands still to catch her breath.

Young April looks up at the sun shining through the trees. She is then joined by Max who is also dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. He wears a red baseball cap on his head and bright blue sunglasses that almost covers up his whole face.

Young Max laughs. "Come on, April. He's going to find us!" His voice is full of excitement, and yet he is out of breath from running.

April beams at her brother before looking around the clearing, trying to look for a hiding place. "Over here!" April says enthusiastically. She takes hold of her brother's hand and pulls him towards the trees. Max runs with April and they hide behind a large oak tree. They giggle amongst themselves as they shush each other, trying their best – and yet failing – to be as quiet as they can.

The young April peers around the side of the oak tree trunk, looking back at the clearing. Max peers over the top of April's head, his mouth slightly agape.

"Can you see him?" Max whispers loudly, placing both his hands on April's shoulders.

"Not yet." April whispers back.

"But I can see you both!"

April and Max jump and turns around to see their father, Declan Hollerford, standing right behind them with a broad smile on his face. "Gotcha!" Declan laughs as the twins scream excitedly, trying to run away from him. But Declan reaches froward and catches them both, one arm around each waist.

Max and April giggle hysterically as they wriggle in their fathers grip, pretending to try and run away from him in this chasing game they have been playing all afternoon. However Declan loses his balance and they all tumble over backwards on the grass, the three of them laughing.

In a motherly instinct, Suzette runs forward, wanting to catch them from falling, but is ever so relieved to see them laughing and unhurt.

Suzette then starts to laugh. "Well it isn't going to be me that will be washing those grass stains out of your clothes when we get home!"

Their laughter echoes around the woods, blowing in the rustle of the leaves...

Years later, April suddenly awakes with a start, and in the few moments that follow, she is confused. April finds herself lying flat on her back in wet grass as she looks up at the leaves above her. There is no sunlight, but she can see the grey clouds just through the gaps.

Without thinking too much about it, April knows that she is back in the woods. How she is here again and no longer in that white cell, she does not know, but this factor does not concern her. Then for a while April makes herself believe that she is a few days back, in the woods with Jason where they are yet to break into the Heat Miles base. She must have just slept heavily and her nightmare just foreshadowed something that may happen.

But when April turns her head and sees Jason's grey, lifeless face, the reality hits her. April, still resting her head on Jason's chest, curls up into a ball, holding her knees to her chest and sobs quietly to herself.

All she can think about is that Captain Jason Hoffman is dead because of her. He volunteered to go back in time and help April with their second chance to set things straight. But she allowed him to be killed.

April does not care what time of day it is, nor does she care if she has finally caught up with time yet. But she finds herself lying there in the grass for a long time, vaguely noticing the woods around her getting slightly darker. April does not want to move either. All she wants to do is to stay there with Jason's body. Even if he starts to rot, she'll rot with him.

However, as soon as it starts getting darker, the sky above her reaching dusk, a siren starts ringing out, sending terrified chills down April's spine. The same siren that went off not long after she and Jason triggered a trap in the woods. The spine-chilling siren to warn you of an ambush.

Remembering what Monroe said to her before he left, April knows that this is just a warning call to let her know that Heat Miles are on their way. They are on their way to collect Jason's body.

April sits up again and looks up at the twilight sky between the leaves before looking back down at Jason's lifeless body, his skin now looking as grey as ever.

"No," April manages to say, her voice weak. "You're not taking him!"

Then without thinking about what it is she is doing, April scrambles to her feet. She holds Jason by his shoulders, trying not to do too more damage to his already dislocated shoulder, and starts pulling him through the woods. She walks backwards as she drags him, looking back over her shoulder to see where she is going.

"We need to go, Jason!" April cries as if expecting him to reply. But of course he does not.

The air raid becomes louder and louder and April's panic only becomes stronger.

There is a sudden heavy gust of wind that shakes the trees. A large hovercraft slowly flies above April, just skimming the tops of the trees, letting out a loud, dull humming as it moves. However April continues to drag Jason through the woods, desperate to get away from the hovercraft as quickly as possible.

But April only gets so far before she feels something sharp hit her in the centre of her back. Then all of a sudden, she can no longer move her limbs. Her jaw has been clamped shut and it feels as if her feet are now planted to the muddy ground beneath her. All that she can move are her eyes which dart from side to side frantically.

Then two shape shifters appear in front of her. Like always, they are wearing their blue and white fencing suits with their monstrous heads concealed by a blue fencing helmet.

Just from seeing these two shape shifter prize Jason's body out of April's firm grip, only makes her even more angry and hysterical, yet she cannot move to save him. Tears fill her eyes and she lets out childish whimpers as she helplessly watches these shape shifters carry Jason's dead body away from her.

Soon enough, a hand lays on her shoulder and she can move again. And then without thinking twice, April spins around and throws her fist forward, hitting Lucien squarely in the face. He stumbles backwards in surprise, covering his nose which is now leaking with a heavy flow of blood.

"Oh, for fuck's sake! You're really going to regret that now." Lucien snarls.

April tries her best to dodge out of Lucien's way as he comes storming up to her, but his knees hits her in to stomach. Winded, April falls down to the ground. Lucien, however, catches her by grabbing hold of her hair at the back of her head. He holds her head at an angle so she has no choice but to look at him.

"You don't want to make us your enemy, April." Lucien says through gritted teeth is such a vicious manor that makes April feel like that he'd probably be happy to kill her there and then.

"Monroe," April manages to say. "He's going to take his revenge on you."

Lucien smirks. "Yes I'm sure that you'll know all about our psychopath that has escaped," Lucien then turns to the shape shifters standing around him. "Take his body back to base."

"No!" April screams but Lucien kicks her one more time before pushing her down to the ground. He turns on his heels and starts to follow the shape shifters. After passing through a few trees, they disappear out of sight, and the hovercraft flies away.

April is left alone in the woods, lying helplessly on the ground.

Heat Miles are aware that Monroe has escaped their cell, and yet Lucien did not seem at all that concerned about it. Did they plan for Monroe to escape? Was she supposed to stop this from happening? As April lies there on her side, looking at the blades of wet, muddy grass just in front of her, she ponders if Jason would be alive now if perhaps they stayed in the Heat Miles base. She could have stopped Monroe.

But he still murdered Jason. And he blames her for it. April cannot help but to believe that it is all her fault. From the Doctor warning her that she messed up just by showing up to the fight in the arena, to then bumping into Monroe on their way out.

Jason volunteered to go back in time for April's benefit, and this is how she repays him.

_Oranges and lemons,_

_Say the bells of St. Clement's._

April closes her eyes, attempting to will herself to keep going. To carry on with this battle. But she can't. She can't do this without Jason, especially knowing that she is the blame for his death. April's breathing is unsteady as she digs her finger tips into the mud.

_You owe me five farthings_

_Say the bells of St. Martin's._

Even with her eyes closed, April cannot rid the image of Monroe shooting Jason without any sign of remorse or any emotion. It was like shooting Jason was as meaningless to Monroe as a daily chore like flossing his teeth.

_When will you pay me?_

_Say the bells of Old Bailey._

What is it with this song? How is it since April first met the Doctor, that she keeps hearing this song everywhere? No matter where she finds herself in the universe, this song always follows her. Feeling a dull ache in her forehead, just between her eyebrows where she has been scowling so harshly, April opens her eyes.

She did not expect to find Amelia Lustworve sitting there in the grass, looking down at her pityingly.

For a long while, April and Amelia stare at each other, April confused and Amelia looking rather sorrowful. She sits there with her legs crossed and her hands resting on each knee. Then after a while Amelia tilts her head to the side and frowns ever so slightly.

"Monroe is planning an attack." Amelia eventually says.

April opens her mouth to speak, but the sound she makes is so weak she can't form any words.

"He's going to try to attack Heat Miles," Amelia's frown deepens in concentration. "I think anyway. He's found a spare spaceship I think he's trying to fly. I don't think that destroying the Heat Miles base is going to stop this battle. But you can stop him."

Why Amelia's words have given April the sudden motivation to move, she does not know. But despite the aching pain all over her body, April pushes herself into sitting position and then onto her knees.

"Where did he go?" April asks in a croaky voice.

"He stole a spaceship from one of the buildings in the arena..." Amelia trails off as April starts to get back onto her feet. She does the same, her face full of concern, scared that April is going to be too weak to move.

But to Amelia's relief, April stands firmly on her feet, looking around the woods. However, April tries to ignore the tremble in her knees and her desire to sit back down.

"Can you do me a favour?" April asks, her voice stronger than ever.

Amelia nods, still staring at April with concern.

"Report to Jack Gruntler about Monroe. Tell him that he has escaped and that I'm after him," then April fishes in her jean pocket. "And then give this back to the Doctor," she takes out the psychic paper and passes it to Amelia. "Let him know that I have left him a message on it."

"What are you going to do?" Amelia asked. "Monroe is armed."

"And I'm prepared," April breathes out heavily, knowing that Jason would not want her to give up. "Go, Amelia."

With that, Amelia turns and runs through the woods. However, she stops and turns back to look at April.

"Remember that time heals." Amelia says in a sweet voice before running again.

April stays standing there, watching Amelia as she disappears through the trees. What does she mean by this? April ponders. Has she and Jason helped save the Island from the chaos from what they have done? But the thought of it hurts April's mind to think about.

The wind howls around her, leaves passing April as they blow manically through the woods. It is then that April reminds herself that she has no time to waste. She turns on her heels and starts to run, feeling more revengeful and angry than she has ever felt before. Nothing is going to stop her now.

Picturing the place she wishes to go to, she runs in between two trees and finds herself no longer in the woods, but the arena.

April halts for a moment, the twilight of the night slowly getting ever darker. But the second she runs into the arena, the hovercraft Monroe has somehow managed to hijack now lifts off the ground and slowly arises into the air.

For a second, April is pushed backwards by the force of air blowing her way as the hovercraft rises. But April runs towards it, pushing against the strong gale.

"MONROE!" April bellows as she runs as fast as she can.

Seeing three long ropes dangling from the bottom of the hovercraft with frayed ends, almost as if they have been hacked at badly by a blunt knife, April leaps up into the air and grabs onto one of the ropes, not thinking twice about what she is doing. Her feet lift off the ground as the hovercraft continues to rise.

The moment April hangs there, gripping onto the rope, she immediately knows that this is a terrible idea. She can only imagine what the Doctor would say to her if he saw her doing this. But April pushes the Doctor to the back of her mind and uses all of her might to pull herself up the rope. This is for Jason.

Her body shakes and every so often, she can feel her grip on the rope slipping, but with clenched teeth, April is not determined to give up. What she is going to do when she gets onto the hovercraft, she does not know. It was only hours ago that she was telling Jason that she wants to kill Rodger Barratt, but now Monroe is high on her list.

Not daring to look down at the ground below, April can only guess how high she is. She can just about see the roofs of the tall buildings in the arena from her peripheral vision. Once again she is reminded that her bright red t-shirt is not going to do her any good in terms of camouflage.

When April manages to climb at least halfway up the rope, a hatch at the base of the hovercraft opens and Monroe looks down at her, with the same manic look in his eye as before.

"You're going to kill me now, Hollerford? Well you'll never get to me. Because you let me kill Jason!" Monroe yells down at April, his hair blowing wildly in the heavy gust of wind. "You'll find my army in the woods during that race. And I bloody hope they kill you!"

Monroe lets out a wild cackle which makes the hairs on the back of April's neck stand on end.

April can hear Monroe saying something, as if talking to himself, in angry tones, as she starts to climb up the rope. She expects Monroe to slam the hatch shut, but the sonic screwdriver still sits in her pocket, she would still be able to open it again.

What April does not expect is for Monroe to start hacking away at the rope with an evidently blunt knife. Panic flushes through April as Monroe does this. The rope slowly ripping. However April only continues to climb.

"No you don't!" She mutters to herself through gritted teeth as she continues to climb up the rope, despite the pain in her arms.

The problem is that there is still quite a distance between April and Monroe, and Monroe continues to hack away at the rope. Noticing the way that the rope is getting thinner and thinner, April manages to pull out the sonic screwdriver.

But she catches Monroe's eye and he only looks amused.

"I'll see you in hell!" Monroe snarls.

Then before April has the chance to try and repair the rope, it snaps.

And then she is falling.


	29. XXVIII - Truth be told

**XXVIII  
Truth be told**

_The Island  
__High above the arena_

At first, all April can see is Monroe flying further and further away from her, looking down at her pathetically from the hovercraft. She falls further to the point Monroe can no longer be seen in the dark shadows. Then she finds herself screaming as her body tumbles heavily through the air. The ground below her now getting closer.

What a way to die, April thinks to herself as she falls. But perhaps her death will be a good thing. It is an interesting point to wonder if she dies when she hits the ground, it will be her own fault. It would not be because of the Cytracik. Maybe it is a good thing for her die from her own doings, just to save the Doctor and UNIT.

The air pressure feels heavy around April as it pushes firmly against her body. She struggles to breathe. But her body continues to spin as she falls, her arms flapping helplessly to he side. First she can see the ground below her, welcoming her death. But then the buildings turn upside down and she can see the top of the cliff in the distance. And then she is looking back up at the hovercraft which now seems so far away.

And then there is a sudden force that hits her sideways.

She feels something strong wrap itself around her waist, and in the short seconds that pass, she is no longer falling down, but falling sideways as if she has been pushed.

And then her back lands on a hard, cold metallic flooring and she can see the interior of the Tardis above her. She is then quickly aware of Will's body weight on top of her.

The sounds around her just seem like a constant buzzing in her ears. Nothing at all seem audible. Her head spins and so does the Tardis. But April remains lying there on the metallic flooring of the Tardis, looking up at the hexagonal shapes in the yellow walls. Will is now no longer on top of her, but lying by her side, his arms still wrapped tightly around her waist.

April is vaguely aware of the Tardis doors being slammed shut and the familiar and welcoming low rumble from the console. Then the Doctor and Aaron Brimikawood stand over her, looking down at her.

The Doctor reaches down, takes April by her wrist and pulls her up. When she feels Will's arm tighten around her, she hears Aaron's gruff voice saying "Let her go," and his grip eventually loosens.

When April is back on her feet, it is as if all her senses have come flooding back. Her hearing is back to normal and the Tardis stops spinning. But she takes one look at the Doctor before her knees buckle under her weight. Her whole body feeling weak.

Aaron catches her just before she can hit the ground again. He picks her up in his arms and carries her all the way to the chair by the console and sits her down. As he does this, April hears him say something about the blood on her arm. When she is sat down, Terry is there thrusting a glass of water in her face.

April takes the glass and gulps down the water greedily. When Terry takes the empty glass out of her hand, April takes in her surroundings. It is then she realises that she has never seen the Tardis full up with this many people before now. The Doctor, Rose, Terry, Max, Will, Aaron, Sarah-Jane, Ireen, Rex, Martha, Joseph and Declan all stare at her expectantly. Each face is etched with concern. The Doctor, however, looking a little more angry than the others. Max pushes past the others so he can be by his sister's side.

"Alic?" April croaks, the memory of him hitting the ground comes flooding back to her.

"Is doing fine," Aaron answers firmly. "He is alive and healing. It is going to take him a while to get back on his feet again. And it means that we are a man down for the fight. But that's nothing for you to worry about, April."

April is lost for words. Her brain still rushing with different thoughts.

"Monroe has escaped." April manages to say in a very weak voice.

"We know." Rose says soothingly.

"But we need to get him!" April cries but Rose lays a gentle hand on her shoulder, stopping her from moving.

"That's the least of our concerns right now." Rose's voice is soft as she speaks.

However April remains sitting there, her body trembling. The Tardis lets out another rumble, but right this minute, it does not sound as comforting as it usually does. April can hear someone saying something along the lines of keeping her warm and then Terry throws the Doctor's heavy, long brown coat over her shoulders.

Then there is silence as Martha kneels down by April's side with a first aid box. As she cleans the wound in her arm where Monroe stabbed her, April feels as if she cannot look at Martha in the eye. Not right now.

"Where did I go wrong?" April eventually asks.

"The fight in that arena was a trick," the Doctor says sternly as he leans against the Tardis console, crossing over his ankles and folding his arms. "Not long after Joshua's death, we discovered that this attack in that arena was a trick to lure us in. Unfortunately you fell for it and called us all into the fight. Jack said it was best to not answer your call, but we couldn't ignore it. It would have been a hell of a lot easier if you just left that battle happen as it did."

"But we saved Joshua's life." April's voice is quiet and weak.

"That's besides the point!" The Doctor shouts.

"Doctor!" Rose hisses in a low, warning tone as the Doctor's voice only rises in anger and bitterness. The Doctor stares at Rose like a sulking child and says nothing else.

"The good thing is," Aaron says, keeping a careful eye on the Doctor before looking back at April. "Is that you stopped the the havoc on this Island. Everything in this village is just how it should be, and as far as the villagers know, everything is going according to plan. None of the villagers are aware of the visiting aliens..." Aaron trails off for a moment before clearing his throat awkwardly. "We were not, however, expecting to hear both yours and Hoffman's name on the list of volunteers for the Day of Destruction."

At the mention of Jason's name, Martha immediately stops cleaning April's wound and looks up. "Where is Jason anyway?"

The penny drops and there is a horrible silence in the Tardis.

April and Martha stare at each other for a long time, and the longer April makes the silence, the realisation starts to sink in. Every time April goes to say something, she cannot manage to find the right words. How can she admit that Jason is dead? How can she even say this fact out loud to herself? Instead April's eyes fill up with tears and her lips tremble as she tries to fight back her need to cry.

There is a look of hope in Martha's eyes, but there's also doubt and fear flickering across her face.

"Where is he?" Martha says, trying to keep her voice light but a hint of bitterness coming through.

Tears slide down April's face as she shakes her head.

"April?" Ireen calls softly.

"I'm so, so sorry." April cries as she covers her face for a split moment. She then looks over to the Doctor, her vision slightly blurred by her tears. She hopes for the Doctor to understand her. He knows what it is like to be the reason why someone is dead. Especially a loved one. "I tried to do w-what I c-could," April chokes on her words. "But M-Monroe was torturing-ing us."

"You were with Monroe?" Rex says in a dark voice.

"I think J-Jason was already dying b-because he was t-tortured so much. But they too...they t-took him from me," April is now sobbing. "He's d-dead! Jason is dead because of me! I could have stopped Monroe. But I didn't. All I cared about w-was you!"

For a short while there is nothing but April's loud sobs in the Tardis.

"I'm so sorry, Martha," April manages to say as Martha stands up and steps away from her. "I'm sorry I killed Jason and let him die," there is a sudden mixture of anger and remorse in April as she cries hysterically. "Jason is dead. He is fucking dead because of me!"

Martha, taking all this in, stares down at April as if she is looking at dirt. Martha shakes her head. "You're a monster!" She says through gritted teeth. "He would have done _anything_ for you. And you killed him!" Martha is now screaming. "HOW COULD YOU, APRIL? You killed Jason after everything he did for you! You are a monster!"

Martha makes a sudden move forward and hits April across her face, but Sarah-Jane suddenly jumps forward and holds her back. Martha wriggles in Sarah-Jane's hold, who is now trying to sooth her and calm her down. But Martha continues to scream. She yells horrific things to April while she too sobs.

Everyone else in the Tardis do nothing but helplessly stand there, watching the scene unfold before them. Utterly speechless to hear this news.

April cries, wrapping her arms around herself as Martha continues to scream. Martha is now down on the floor, hysterically sobbing in Sarah-Jane's arms who rocks her back and forth.

However, April feels utterly alone. Who would want to comfort her when she is the reason why Jason is dead?

But there is one person here who she so desperately needs. The person she lost all those years ago because of this battle and the Cytracik. The only person who can possibly share her pain.

April reaches forward and calls out a name. And then he is there.

Declan rushes over to his parallel daughter's side and holds her close to him as if she is his own. April buries her face into Declan's shoulder and allows him to hold her tightly.

"You're okay," Declan says softly as he rocks her from side to side. "Everything is going to be alright."

For a moment, she is sure that she can feel her brother's presence behind her, but even he seems rather hesitant.

"Get her out of here." Aaron's gruff voice breaks the moment and Declan does not hesitate to let her go.

The first thing April notices is her grandfather, looking down at her from over Declan's shoulder. Then Will takes her hand and pulls her away from the scene.

April, stumbling over her feet, lets Will drag her away from the scene where they pass through the archway leading to the Tardis' other rooms. And then they step into darkness.


	30. XXIX - The Cold Star

**XXIX  
The Cold Star**

As soon as Will and April step into the darkness, all sounds from inside of the Tardis is replaced by the sound of a machine being switched on. April can only guess that Will has taken her somewhere away from the Tardis, but for the first few seconds of standing in the darkness, it is not clear as to where.

But then the lights flicker on and the sight of the walls around them makes April speechless.

April glances down her feet. They are no longer standing on the metallic flooring of the Tardis, but on a white flooring covered in black specks. There is an iron gate directly in front of Will and April and the semi-circular wall runs behind them. There are two fluorescent blue light tubes that run along the walls.

The room shudders ever so slightly before the elevator April has stepped into time and time before in the parallel world, starts to ascend. The lift creaks as they move upwards, almost as if it has been a long while since it was last in use, but this only reminds April of that time when she returned to the UNIT base after having two months away from them.

April suddenly feels nervous at the prospect of seeing the UNIT base again, and for a split moment, she is not sure if she wants to see it. But how can they be here?

"We're back in my world," Will says softly as if reading her mind. "We shouldn't have passed through the parallel doorway, but I thought it was best to get you as far away from the Island as possible."

So it is true. April and Will have left the Island. It would explain why her headache that has been irritating her since the moment they reached the island, has now completely vanished. But also the prospect of having left everyone else back on the Island does nothing to calm April's mind.

Then April clamps her mouth shut, afraid that she has started to talk aloud to herself, for it seems that Will knows everything that is on her mind.

"Don't worry about the others, you still have forty-eight hours before the Day of Destruction."

However April knows that she has caused so much damage because of Jason's death. And like Martha said, she is a monster. The look on Martha's face is clear in April's mind.

It has got to the stage now where April feels like she cannot cry any more. It is as if her body can no longer produce tears. Instead she stands there by Will's side, her jaw set tight and her scowl harsher than ever. Yet there is a vacant look in her eyes, almost as if she isn't really there.

But on the inside, April feels numb. She cannot comprehend any emotions.

The lift eventually stops and April can see the familiar blue lights of the UNIT base shining through the iron gates. Then without saying anything, Will pulls open the iron gates one at a time, revealing the empty base before them.

Coming back to the base which has been a home to Will for half his life, now haunts him. Life here was never the same again after April left his world. He split apart from his group and he did many things out for anger for which he strongly regrets. But perhaps he is the selfish, arrogant man April first saw him as. However right now, all he wants is to be there for April. Maybe she can feel at ease here again?

For a long while, April remains standing in the lift as she looks at the empty base. Everything seems just as it did before. There are still rows upon rows of desks that were once overcrowded with the many soldiers of UNIT. Only this time their desks are completely empty; stripped away from their computers or personal possessions that were once there before.

At the far end of the base is a long desk running along the wall. Then hanging on the wall is a blank holographic screen. Then above the screen is a large replica of the UNIT logo carved into the wall's surface.

April takes her first step forward and slowly walks through the base, Will just behind her shoulder. The silence in the base does not haunt April as much as it did the last time she walked through the empty base over two years ago.

The only thing that haunts her is the reminder that the UNIT soldiers who are on the Island are the only remaining soldiers of this company. Everyone else was killed in battle, both in the war in London and the one in Antarctica. Now because of April, they have lost another soldier. She can't bear the thought of anyone else losing their life because of her and this stupid prophecy the Cytracik has given her and her brother.

April stops walking when they reach the desk at the end of the base by the wall. Left on top of the desk are files and sheets of scrap paper, planning UNIT attacks in the Battle of the Cytracik. It is then, however, April is aware of how cold it is in the base. Not the bitterly cold air she feels in her nightmare, nor is it the cold weather they had from Antarctica. But this cold air feels as if it looms overhead like a dark shadow, destroying everything in its wake.

"There's something I should show you." Will says, noticing the way April folds her arms across her chest. Goosebumps appear on her pale, bloody arms, but it is about time April sees what has been happening to his world since she left.

Will directs her to the fire door to her right and pushes it open. They are met with the brightness of a distant sun and heavy wind. But Will steps out onto the balcony before he starts to climb the iron ladder at the side of the brick wall. April follows Will up the ladder and he helps her to clamber onto the flat roof of the UNIT base, overlooking the parallel city of London.

April saw this view many times before while she was in the parallel world. But this time, everything seems so different. It seems as if the city of London itself has died.

The streets below are as quiet and as empty of people and cars as they were when she was last here. But it is almost as if there is no one else here but them. She can see the river Thames a little off in the distance, and to her left, she can still see a large empty space which was once Piccadilly Circus before the Dalek King dropped a bomb on them, killing many Cybermen and most of its own army too.

The sky is of a deep pink colour as the sun slowly starts to set. And despite that there is a protective spell around the UNIT base to make it invisible to the rest of London, the wind is still bitterly cold.

When April is aware that Will is not standing by her side, looking out at the view of London, she finds him standing in the centre of the rooftop, looking up at the sky. April follows his eyeline and then finds what it is he is looking at.

Directly above them in the sky, as small as the sun looks, is a large ball of ice twinkling before them.

April stares up at this ice ball in the sky, not having the faintest clue as to why it is there in the first place, or what it is.

"It's a cold star," Will says darkly when April stands next to him. "It came here the day after you left and for a while no one knew what it was. One day everything was fine but then the next this appeared and started freezing over our planet," Will pauses for a long moment. "The cold star was put there because of the Battle of the Cytracik," Will cannot help but smirk. "No surprises there," he then mutters. "But intelligence went out across the universe about our friendship to you and the Doctor. Then within twenty-four hours, the whole universe was aware of everything we have been through. Then because we are an ally to you and the Doctor, we are therefore a threat, because we'll have the same views as him..." Will pauses for a long moment. "My father did everything he can to try and find out about the cold star. Especially with the army right on our backsides again. But then we discovered that..." Will hesitates. "In that cold star is the Island."

April continues to stare up at the cold star with more of an understanding. So this Island created by the Cytracik, revolves around a cold star, just like their world revolves around their star.

"This appeared shortly after the whole universe heard about us and started to make plans about coming to the Island," Will continues. "Jack Gruntler told us that no matter where you are in the universe, you will always be able to see this cold star, until the Battle of the Cytracik ends. I guess Rodger Barratt really wanted to make a show." Will frowns as he continues to look up at the distant cold star. Even now he finds it hard to believe that the Island is up there too.

"There is a parallel doorway between here and there," Will shrugs. "Probably disguised as stars or something."

"Yeah, I know. I can see it." April says in a low tone. She can very faintly see a group of constellations circling the cold star, indicating where the parallel doorway is.

Will turns to look at April, and continues to look at her till she turns to look at him.

For a long while, Will and April stand there in the centre of the rooftop looking at each other. However, it is as if April is looking everywhere but his eyes, almost as if she is purposely ignoring his gaze. But she studies his face, the creases in his skin and the odd mole here and there. She then studies his blond hair which used to be short and perfectly trimmed. Now it is long, curly and falls into his eyes.

April slowly reaches up and touches his hair that falls over his forehead, brushing it back. "Your hair has changed." April says flatly, as if she has just noticed this, and gently ruffles his hair with the tips of her fingers.

"Yours hasn't." Will replies, trying to keep his voice light. He smiles faintly.

"It's longer." April continues to examine his hair, almost as if she did not hear him speak a word.

Hearing the pain in April's voice, Will forces himself to smile broadly, but of course, April does not return his smile. For a brief moment, Will wonders if April will ever smile again; her face is hard and somewhat unwelcoming.

April then eventually catches Will's eye, and when she does, she stops ruffling his hair and draws her hand away. She then breathes out heavily as she looks away.

"It's going to take some getting used to." April says dully.

"April, please," Will says as he grabs onto her hand, a little firmer than he expected. "Please don't shut me out."

"You were keen on shutting me out when you first got here." April sneers as she tries to pull away from Will. Because she and Jason had their second chance to change events on the Island, she is not sure if he knows about the make up talk when she ended up explaining what she tried to do in Manchester. But this thought April can't keep to herself. "Have we had this conversation yet?" She snaps.

"We have," Will says, his voice full of hurt. "We had the same conversation, just during different situations. But that is not the point, April. I know you are struggling to deal with this. But we all are. We've all lost an incredible man. But you just came out saying that his death is your fault and you never explained," Will sighs heavily. "I know what Monroe is like. And whether or not Jason's death is your fault, Monroe would have killed him anyway. He wouldn't have the guts to kill you himself, so he tries to destroy you mentally. And April you're letting him," Will then holds April's face in both his hands. "Please don't let what Monroe has done get to you. Because every day I tell myself that Private Jefferson was killed under my watch."

"But Alic..."

"Is alive, April," Will says. "Yes we don't think he is ever going to be able to walk again, but he is alive. And despite what the Doctor says to you, you and Jason both saved Joshua's life."

"But I failed Jason. The look on his face when he died..."

Will is silent for a while as his hands drop down April's neck and rests on her shoulders. "You'll fail Jason if you carry on this way," Will says after a while as he looks down at their feet. "Jason will not have wanted you to let this destroy you as much as you are letting it," Will then looks up at April. "What was one of the last things you remember telling him?"

April's jaw becomes hard before she speaks. "I told him that I'm going to kill Rodger Barratt."

For a long while, Will looks lost for words. He does not know whether or not he agrees with her wish, but even Jack told him that he shouldn't stop April in doing what she wants to do. Even if it is the wrong thing. But how can her wanting to kill Rodger Barratt be the wrong thing when this whole battle is down to him and his army of shape shifters?

"You don't want me to be a murderer, do you?" April says dully.

Will looks up at her. "That'll make two of us."

Will and April's attention is suddenly drawn away from each other as there is a loud bang, like a cannon, coming from the distance. April and Will look over to the city of London in the direction where the cannon was sounded.

"That's the army," Will says reassuringly. "Once a month they do a march around the whole city, you know, just in case they stumble along anything strange."

April pulls away from Will and walks over to the edge of the roof, stopping just in front of the low wall that runs alongside the perimeter of the roof. She can hear somewhere in the distance the sound of heavy marching feet. At first April is certain it is Cybermen marching, but she then notices a squad from the army marching through the streets just below them.

Will moves away from April and then returns a few seconds later, holding onto a very large, thick, brown quilt.

"Where did you get that from?" April asks suspiciously.

"A few years ago, us lot from the Myriad Circle used the old ventilation shoot that is no longer in use. We mainly stored food and cigarettes, but we also stored this quilt when we wanted to stay the night up here when things were getting crazy," Will laughs. "Often we'd sit under the blanket and smoke weed or something."

April looks from Will to the blanket then back to Will. Then she allows him to take her hand and direct her to sit down. Will sits with his back up against the low wall at the edge of the roof and he throws the blanket over them both as April snuggles into his chest, sharing his warmth. Will wraps his arms around April and holds her tightly until she stops shivering.

"How can I forget you, April?" Will whispers. "How can I forget your love?"


	31. XXX - Breaking at the seams

**XXX  
Breaking at the seams**

_The Island  
__The Tardis  
__Two days before the Day of Destruction_

The Doctor, Aaron, Rose and Terry stand in silence, throwing glances at each other across the Tardis console. They stand there, not uttering a word or even daring to move a muscle. The silence is tense and somewhat awkward.

A few hours has passed since April announced Jason's death. It was lucky Will took April away from the scene at that moment because Martha probably would have attacked again her out of remorse. But soon after they left, Martha was escorted out, and eventually the Tardis is left with Rose, Terry, Aaron and the Doctor.

No one knows where Will and April currently are. The Doctor tires to ignore his concerns about this. Surely they can't have travelled further than the Island itself? The Doctor does not mention anything about this, knowing full well that everyone is trying to process the news of Jason's death.

But how are they supposed to react when all April said was that Jason died because of her? From the little she did say, they know that the act of killing Jason was down to Monroe. But April said it was her fault. That he is dead because of her. No one knows if that is the truth or if she is just taking the blame. When April returns, she will have to explain herself to clear the waters.

Everyone is too full of remorse and anger right now.

Rose takes in a deep breath. "When they return," she says, her voice sounding strange in the tense air around them. "Are we going to stop April from being part of the Day of Destruction?"

This is then followed by another horrible long silence.

The Doctor goes to say something but Aaron cuts across him quickly.

"We can't," he says gruffly. "Jack said that once their name is called out at the party there are no changes," Aaron waves his hand in the air as if swatting away a fly. "Something about a curse that cannot be broken."

"Okay," Rose says, cautiously glancing over to the Doctor. "And what are we going to do about April?"

Another horrible silence.

"I don't think April is the reason why Jason is dead," the Doctor says sternly and everyone stares at him, surprised that he is standing up for her. "Just knowing what April is like, she would take the blame for anything," the Doctor then rubs his eyes. "She probably could have stopped Monroe from killing him, yes, but Monroe would have killed Jason anyway."

"You don't suppose Monroe said something to April to make her feel this way?" Rose asks.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Aaron growls as he folds his arm. "It is what he did after Peter Bursnell."

"Poor April." Rose mutters.

Aaron turns to look at the Doctor. "Don't expect her to welcome us back with open arms after watching her friend being killed. I'm not expecting anything from Martha in her state."

"Where is she now?" The Doctor asks.

"Ellis has offered to let her stay at his for the night."

"You think that's wise?"

"Ellis has done enough to prove his is trustworthy," Terry says in a voice that sounds almost robotic. "And so is everyone that's part of the revolution. I trust him. I trust all of them. They have not proved otherwise."

For knowing Terry's intelligence, they all know better than to cross her judgement.

Yet there is another tense silence.

The Doctor frowns. "So," he says, changing the tone of his voice as he looks from Terry to Aaron. "What is this cold star you mentioned?"

Aaron leans back on the rails. "It's the star this Island rotates around. The equivalent to our star," Aaron turns face-on to the Doctor and looks at him quizzically. "Have you ever asked April what she fears the most?"

"No but I gathered its this Island and the Black Lighthouse."

Aaron shakes his head, sighing. "That's not what I meant, Doctor. Have you asked her what she is more afraid of: fire or ice?"

The Doctor stares at Aaron, a little dumbstruck.

"I'm guessing Jack has not told you what April's therapist asked her way before you two met? She asked April if she feared the fiery pain she feels when she wakes up after the nightmare, or the icy coldness she feels on that beach. And you only have to look back at how she was in the battle with the Nobody's," Aaron sighs. "Can you hazard a guess as to what April replied with?"

Aaron pauses for dramatic effect but before he says anything, Joseph steps out of the shadows of the treelike pillars.

His voice is strong as he speaks. "She said she does not like ice."

* * *

April wakes up with a start, just as she watches Monroe pull the trigger again, killing Jason. As the bullet hits Jason's heart, it is almost as if it hits April too, jolting her awake from her sleep. But then she panics in the seconds that follow, not being sure as to where she is. However her panic subsides the moment she can hear Will's heartbeat and his slow, steady breathing beside her. Both her and Will must have fallen asleep not long after they curled up together under the blanket.

But she remembers nothing in the space between her falling asleep on the roof of the UNIT base and when she briefly relived Jason's death. For the first time in eight years, April did not witness the Black Lighthouse in her sleep.

Will and April now lie in a large double bed in what looks like a spare bedroom. The bed is framed with black iron bars at the head and the end, and there is a deep red, thin and scratchy duvet covering both of them. The window just beside them is covered by old, dusty looking curtains.

The spare bedroom is rather small, containing nothing more than the bed, a wooden bedside table and an empty desk.

April, still wrapped up in Will's arms, looks up at him, only to find him still sleeping peacefully. Not wanting to disturb him, she manages to untangle herself from his arms and crawl out of bed. Now she isn't sharing Will's body heat, April wraps her arms around herself, already feeling cold.

However, it is not clear as to where she is. There are three possible options: they are in a spare room in Ellis' house, or Jack Gruntler's house, or they have been kidnapped. April hopes for the former rather than the latter.

She carefully steps through the dark bedroom and opens the door as quietly as she can. Having had years of practice doing this around the house while living with Bruce Fey, April does not have any problems with being quiet. But as she opens the door, she is met with a grey wooden floored landing. Just over to her left are stairs leading downstairs.

April cannot help but breathe out a sigh of relief as she knows that she is in fact in Jack Gruntler's new residence. She feels safe leaving Will to continue sleeping peacefully in the spare bedroom. She closes the door quietly behind her and slowly makes her way down the wooden stairs, following the angry, muffled voices that can be heard through a closed door downstairs.

To April's luck, there is no one else in the living room. However the door leading to the kitchen is shut. She can just about see the light through the small gap between the door and the flooring, and the closer she gets to the door, the louder and clearer the voices are. However it does not come to a surprise to April to who the male voices belong to.

"Don't be ridiculous, Doctor," Aaron snaps. "For whatever reason it was for, it was their choice to put their names down. They must have seen a good reason for it."

"The truth about April is that she would do this out of her own stubbornness. You know what Declan is like. April did this because she feels like she can save everyone and anyone," The Doctor argues. "She can be stubbornly blind to accept our help."

"Take note, Doctor." Comes Jack's low voice which seems to be just on the other side of the door. For a second, April moves away from the door in case anyone catches her, before she continues to listen in.

"April has the mind of a soldier," Aaron says gruffly. "She just wants to save herself from this place and hope we all come out alive. Isn't that not what you want, Doctor?"

"Yes, but this is going too far! Volunteering for the Day of Destruction is going to make matters worse. It's a suicide mission! She's been told time and time again that the whole universe is on it's way to those woods for this race. They all want the Cytracik as well as having myself and her dead. She might as well wave a white flag. Everything is just falling apart."

"Well we've all come to the conclusion of what we are going to do on that day. We've discussed this, Doctor. Besides, do you not remember what Declan asked you to do before he died?"

The Doctor hesitates for a short second, but when he speaks, his voice is dark and low. "Do you not think how much that has been weighing me down since the moment he told me?"

"And what have you done for it, Doctor?"

"I'M SAVING HER LIFE AS MUCH AS SHE IS SAVING MINE! Go on, Brigadier," the Doctor's voice goes from angry to mocking very quickly. "Tell me everything you know! Tell me how much I've messed up since April has come into our lives. How I could have done better. Or what you would have done because you don't get it. You don't understand the fear I have every single day that I will lose her and it will be my fault because I didn't succeed in doing as her father wishes. I've pushed her away, that's for sure, but I have had one too many friends die under my watch and I can't do it again!"

"What April chooses to do will not be your fault, Doctor." Jack says but it is almost as if he isn't even there in the room with them.

"You're not the only one who is suffering, Doctor! I've lost my whole bloody company in the last two battles! My Captain has just been murdered! Do you not think that the memory of those shape shifters torturing me in that other dimension still haunts me? That I've tried clawing my own fucking teeth out every time I have a flashback?" Aaron's voice suddenly becoming harsher than ever. "Do you not think I'm regretting these moments since my son left me, wishing that I could have been a better father?"

"Truth be told, Aaron, it probably didn't help that you spent the first half of that boy's UNIT career pretending he wasn't your son." The Doctor sneers.

"Well, aren't you one for telling me how much of a screw up I am."

The silent second that passes is painful but then there is sudden movement, followed by smack and a groan of pain. It is evident that either the Doctor or Aaron have just attempted to assault one another – something April never imagined either of them would ever do to each other.

"ENOUGH!" Ellis bellows and the sound of fighting ceases.

For a while, there is nothing but heavy breathing.

"Sorry." The Doctor eventually says.

"Me too." Aaron replies and it's evident they both mean it.

Then there is a loud bang, as if someone has slammed their fist onto a wooden surface. It isn't clear who does this. April lifts her fist, ready to knock on the door but halts when Ellis starts to speak again.

"I think what we need to be more concerned about right now, is thinking about who is going to take Jason's place as a volunteer." Ellis' voice is surprisingly calm.

"I agree for anyone but Maxwell." The Doctor mutters.

"And I strongly agree that neither of the three of us should go ether," Jack says very calmly. "But on that note, I believe that our little discussion here is over."

"I agree," Ellis says before clearing his throat. "I will talk this through with the rest of the revolution."

"No," Jack says simply. "I mean that April wishes to have a word with you, Doctor. She's just outside of the door and has been for the past few minutes."

Before April has the chance to react, the kitchen door swings open. A startled looking April is met by a somewhat exasperated and tired looking Doctor with a swollen, bloody bottom lip, Aaron and Ellis, and Jack who looks knowingly at her as if reading her mind.

In the silent seconds that follow, the Doctor's face softens.

"April?" He says in a soft tone. He then lowers his arm to April's arm that has been bandaged up by Martha. However the blood has seeped right through. The Doctor cannot help but feel a pang of guilt for April. What on earth happened to her?

"Come on in," Jack says, opening his arms to welcome her into the kitchen. "I thought the spare bedroom would be more of a comfortable spot for yourself and Will rather than the roof of the UNIT base."

April ignores the glances exchanged between the Doctor and Aaron as she steps into the cold kitchen.

"Look at you, you're freezing." Aaron says as he takes off his Brigadier jacket and hangs it over April's shoulders.

April mutters an inaudible thanks before looking at the Doctor.

"If I ask you to take me somewhere," April says in a stronger voice than before, despite the slight tremble. "Will you promise to take me there without a fuss?"

"April..." The Doctor starts.

"And if you say no I'll just drive the Tardis myself. But I don't want to go alone. And I feel like I cannot risk my family to go alone. I'm just asking you to trust me and support me. Please."

The Doctor sighs.

"Do I have your word for it?" April asks sternly. "If I ask you to leave the scene you'll do as I say. And that you'll let me to do this the way I want it to be done."

"You have my word," the Doctor says, nodding. "Where do you want to go?"

"I want you to take me to the Dalek spaceship."


	32. XXXI - The fifth star

**XXXI  
The fifth star**

_The Island  
__Jack Gruntler's residence  
__Day and a half before the Day of Destruction_

April opens the door into the spare bedroom, only to find that Will is still sleeping peacefully. However, he has managed to move since she left him for he is now sleeping on his side rather than his back. His mouth hangs open ever so slightly.

She walks across the dark room to stand by the side of the bed. For a long moment, she looks down at the sleeping Will, loving every single part of him as he sleeps peacefully. She wonders how she could ever push him away like she did.

April sits down on the edge of the bed and starts stroking the side of his face.

"Will." She whispers.

He stirs under her touch yet he remains sleeping. But the brief moment of her strong affection towards him quickly subsides as she hears movement from downstairs. The Doctor keenly awaits for Ellis and Aaron to safely escort Max, Joseph and her parallel father to Jack's residence.

Since she told the Doctor what she wants to do, surprisingly he did not refuse, but simply accepted. Ellis informed the revolution of what is being done and they are going to be on high alert, in case help is needed. Then both him and Aaron went to collect Declan, Max and Joseph.

"Will," April says more firmly as she shakes his warm shoulder. "Will, please wake up."

Will stirs awake and suddenly he panics as he looks up at April.

"What's going on?" Will says sleepily as he sits up. "Where are we? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," April reassures him as she pushes away his hand which reaches for her face. "Jack somehow managed to transport us from the UNIT base to his house."

"Oh." Will suddenly relaxes.

"But I thought I should at least wake you up now instead of you finding out later when I'm gone."

Will raises an eyebrow. "Find out what?"

April looks Will directly in the eye as she speaks. "The Doctor is taking me to the Dalek spaceship."

"He is WHAT?!"

April has to hold Will down, stopping him from jumping to his feet.

"It's fine, I asked him to!" April says almost pleadingly. "I suspected that there must be a Dalek spaceship somewhere around here at least. The Doctor doesn't want me to go, but I've asked him to take me there. I need the support."

"You're going alone with the Doctor?" Will's voice is low.

April shakes her head. "I'm taking Max, my grandfather and Declan."

Will just looks dumbfounded.

"I don't really have much of a plan," April says weakly. "But because the Daleks are the ones to have the power of the Cytracik, I thought it would be a good idea for us to go and visit them."

"Visit them and do what?"

"I don't know. I'll think of something there."

"Think of something there? April, do you not remember what the Dalek's are like? Do you not think they won't kill you on the spot?"

"If they are going to do that, they would have done it the moment I last appeared on their ship. And when they came out of the void in the lighthouse," April replies bluntly. "I don't know. There's something about my myth of the Ice Girl that stops them from killing me. Perhaps they can't until they have the Cytracik."

"April, what's going through your mind?" Will says, his voice breathless with exasperation.

April jumps to her feet in frustration. "I'm not thinking at all!" she snaps. "Truth is since Jason died I think I've just shut my brain off."

"How do you feel though?"

"I feel..." April hesitates. "I just feel numb." April sighs heavily as she covers her face with her hands. She hears Will pulling back the covers and getting out of bed. She then feels his warm hands gently take hold of her wrists and pulls her hands away from her face.

"What do you hope to gain from this?" Will asks softly.

April snorts. "For this battle to end. The thing is I don't know what is going to happen. But the Daleks have created a replica of myself and Max. And Max has to see it."

Will's lips reaches hers before either of them can say anything else. They kiss vigorously like they have never done before, and April feels herself being pushed up against the bedroom wall. Their hands desperately roam each other's bodies and their lips remain connected. April runs her hands up Will's back under his shirt, before pulling out and wrapping her arms around his neck. From this, Will lifts her up and April wraps her legs around his waist. Will hastily closes the bedroom door shut before carrying April over to the bed.

They say nothing to each other as they devour each other's bodies while making love, simply desperate for one another's affection. April gasps at the burning sensation once Will is inside her, begging for more.

No matter what horrors may be happening on the Island right now, April and Will do not care for anything else but each other right this moment.

* * *

The Doctor, April, Max, Joseph and Declan stand in the Tardis in silence. The Tardis rumbles occasionally here and there, but the others remain in silence. The Doctor, however is the first to speak.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks softly.

"Yes." April replies sharply.

"Do you know what you want to do when we're there?" The Doctor asks hastily.

April hesitates before looking at the Doctor in the eye. "No," she quickly stops the Doctor when he opens his mouth to say something. "But they can't exterminate me."

"Yes they can." The Doctor says darkly.

"Not when they don't have the Cytracik. If they're going to kill me, it will be during the Day of Destruction." However confident April sounds as she says this, she hopes that her suspicions are true that they cannot kill her till they have the Cytracik.

There is another silence as the Doctor breathes out a loud, shaky sigh. He turns his back on April to look at the Tardis console.

"Are you okay if Rose and Terry comes with us?" He asks absently as he fiddles with the dials.

April's scowl deepens. "I don't want them in trouble."

"They both have some unfinished business on that ship from the last time we were there."

This is something April is completely unaware of. The last time they were on the Dalek spaceship April transported herself to the parallel world. What happened on the ship after she was gone wasn't really discussed. However April does not say anything else.

"Are you sure about this?" The Doctor asks as he turns to look at her again, knowing that it is safe to do so.

"Well we're all here, are we not?" April says, a little harsher than intended.

"No, are _you_ sure you want to do this, April?"

For a long moment April just stares at the Doctor before speaking. "If I wasn't I wouldn't be here."

The Doctor sighs, evident that he strongly wishes to not be doing this. But right now, he knows that he cannot go against April's wishes. Then with difficulty, the Doctor pulls down a leaver on the console and the Tardis shudders. Just from the groaning sound the Tardis makes as it flies, it seems more louder and drawn out than usual, just showing that it is clear that the Tardis is reluctant to fly to the Dalek spaceship.

For the duration of the flight, the Doctor and April continue to stare at each other. But the flight is short and they land far quicker than either of them really want to.

For a short moment, everything is silent, for not even the Tardis lets out its usual rumble. And then the voices from outside the doors start to speak in their, low, robotic and menacing voices.

"The Doctor is here!"

"The Doctor has arrived!"

"Send the alarm!"

"What does he want now?"

"We must exterminate him!"

"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

The Doctor and April continue to stare at each other as these voices echo outside of the Tardis walls. Ignoring the shiver of fear that runs through her body, April starts to move. She walks across the console room in long strides, passing the Doctor and not even giving a fleeting glance at her brother, grandfather and her parallel father, who have been standing on the other side of the console. When she sees the Doctor making a move to follow her, she raises her hand and looks at him sharply.

"No," she hisses. "You can stay here for a moment," then when she is at the door, she looks back at her family softly. "Just give me five minutes alone, okay?" She glances over to a worried looking Doctor for a second, before turning her back on them and facing the door.

Her hand rests on the door latch for a moment as she momentarily closes her eyes. She inhales deeply before exhaling. And then she turns the latch and holds her breath.

Everything falls silent outside.

The Tardis door creaks loudly as April pulls it open. And then there is the sudden sound of movement as April looks up.

Hundreds of Daleks that surround the Tardis, all move backwards an inch or so in unison. Clearly they are completely surprised to be met with the Ice Girl rather than the Oncoming Strom.

April stares at the black Dalek directly in front of her. She can just about see a disfigurement of her reflection and the reflection of the Tardis upon the shiny surface of its dome. There are four silver Daleks beside the black one; two on each side. Then the rest of the Daleks are gold.

The interior design of the Dalek spaceship looks just as it did before with its bright orange metallic walls and black marble flooring.

April cautiously steps out of the Tardis and closes the door behind her, not breaking eye contact with the black Dalek. She steadies her breathing. She will not let fear take over. She will not be afraid of the Daleks right now because they cannot kill her. She will be brave.

April stands in the opening gap between the Tardis and the Daleks and plants her feet firmly on the ground.

"I suppose you were not expecting to see me, were you?" April says, trying to keep her voice cool.

"Not until the Day of Destruction. We have just over twenty-four hours before this day. Why are you here?" The black Dalek responds, its robotic voice sounding ever so slightly restrained.

"I would like to discuss the matter of the Cytracik." It takes all of April's might to not break eye contact with the black Dalek. She feels as if looking away will come across as a sign of weakness.

"The Cytracik will be ours. We will kill the Doctor and take it from him. We are the ones with the most power."

"Yeah, about that..."

"You too will be exterminated."

"Then do it now!" April holds her arms out to the side. "Go on! I dare you to kill me now! The Doctor and my twin brother is in the Tardis. I'm sure you can find a way inside to kill them too-"

Before April has the chance to finish speaking, all Daleks raise their guns to April.

"EXTERMINATE!" The black Dalek orders and then shoots.

April is surprised she does not flinch when it does so, as hundreds more Daleks around her shoot in her direction. However, they fail to kill her. It is not that they are aiming badly, but it is as if there is an invisible barrier around April that is protecting her, and no Dalek is able to get to her. April's suspicions are true.

When April realises this, she starts to laugh as the Daleks continue to yell out _exterminate _as they try to kill her. But they are useless. April moves quickly and stands directly in front of the black Dalek, looking straight at it down its eye.

All Daleks fall silent.

"What do you know?" She snaps.

"We know nothing."

"You must do! You know about the Black Lighthouse. You were the ones who came out of the void. You are the shadow that always kills me in my nightmare."

"And we will kill you," the black Dalek replies sternly. "When the bell rings for the start of the Day of Destruction, you will be killed."

April grits her teeth. "Well, isn't that just wonderful. Tell me!"

"The Black Lighthouse has already flashed three times. It will flash for the fourth time at dawn. And for the fifth time when the Day of Destruction begins. It shall flash for the sixth time once you are dead and we have the Cytracik."

Dread runs through April at the thought of the Black Lighthouse having flashed three times already. "Then tell me," April hisses through gritted teeth. "Why is it you? Why are you the ones to kill me?"

"Because we are chosen."

"Is this another excuse to tell yourselves how powerful you are just because you survived the Time War?" The Doctor snaps as he steps out of the Tardis.

April jumps at the sound of the Doctor's voice and she turns around to look at him. She was hoping that her family could come out of the Tardis before him. She also wants more time alone with the Daleks.

"You told me that you survived the Time War because of the Emperor Dalek. But that does not explain as to why you are the supposed ones to behold the Cytracik," the Daleks remain silent as the Doctor strides forward across the clearing, looking at each and every Dalek. "The last time we were here when you transported us to your ship, begging for mercy, my friend found this." the Doctor holds up a thin, glass tube with thick, silver liquid.

All the Daleks jolt backwards another inch at the sight of the Dalek blood Terry discovered the last time there were here.

"The Cyborg took this from us!" One of the gold Daleks declares. "It is now suffering from human pain."

"I thought as much," the Doctor says calmly as he folds his arms. "You see the moment Terry started to feel human emotions, I knew that it was something to do with the blood she found on this ship. You are mutants stripped from all emotions, but one touch from this blood to someone with little to no emotions will be able to develop human feelings. One can only imagine that all human emotion will be stripped from me if I touched this," the Doctor then looks theatrically pensive for a moment. "It sounds rather a lot like the Cybermen who were once humans."

"We are not like the low scum Cybermen!" One of the gold Daleks yells. "We have higher power than them!"

"What, because you came out the void and are apparently the ones to next hold the Cytracik?" The Doctor tries not to laugh as he says this.

"WE ARE!"

The Doctor shrugs. "I don't doubt it. That statement is true. The rest of the universe don't know that though do they?" The Doctor looks from one Dalek to the next. "But the question is what were you doing at that time for my friend to have found your blood?"

"The twin Daleks." April says in a low whisper. The Doctor looks at April but April continues to stare at the black Dalek. "You've created a Dalek version of myself and my brother."

"You will be defeated by your polar opposite." The black Dalek announces.

April nods. "So you've built a Dalek version of me just to kill me."

"A Dalek of the Ice Girl and the Lost Brother is the reason why we will take the Cytracik. Whatever becomes a parallel of its victims will behold the Cytracik itself."

The Doctor frowns.

"Well at least I do have a family to support me." April says, breathing heavily as the Doctor stands, comfortingly close to her.

"We killed your family! The Hollerford's will be exterminated before the Day of Destruction is over."

With that, the Tardis door swings open with a creak. April continues to stare at the black Dalek as the Doctor turns around to look back. However, April can only guess who will be the first the leave the Tardis, and it won't be Max.

"This is impossible!" One of the gold Daleks yells.

"But we exterminated him!"

April cannot help but smirk at the sudden panic amongst the Daleks as Declan steps out of the Tardis.

"Is this a trick?" Another Dalek demands. Then this is followed by yells of exterminate and attempts to kill them all.

Almost like an immediate reaction, the Doctor holds onto April as if to guard her from the Daleks. But to the Doctor's surprise, they cannot kill them. April is correct in telling him this. The Doctor's grip slowly loosens on her when she glances at him sideways. Max is the next to step out of the Tardis, followed by Joseph. Declan, however, looks rather pleased with himself.

"Yes I am sure that you are surprised to see me," Declan announces to the Daleks confidently. "See my parallel self had the power to open the Cytracik and yet you murdered him. But here I am, the exact same man."

"But you are a parallel version. You cannot hold the same power." Another Dalek roars.

"There are only minor differences between each parallel individual," Declan puts his hands in his trouser pockets. "I'm sure you'll find that I am more of the successful Declan Hollerford than the one you murdered. I have more power to tear you apart."

"But Declan was unsuccessful in his inventions!"

"I wasn't," Declan laughs. "Everything my parallel self invented were just ideas on papers. But I have created each and every invention into a physical thing."

There is a horrible silence.

"Now you're scared." The Doctor says, looking around at all the gold Daleks.

"Do you know how the Cytracik came about?" The black Dalek asks slowly after a long pause.

"Rodger Barratt and the rest of the shape shifters created it." April says sullenly as she crosses her arms around her body. The Doctor, Declan, Joseph and Max stand close behind April.

"Not quite." The black Dalek says equally as slowly.

April's scowl becomes harsher. "Go on then."

"What do you know of the fifth star of Andrymia, Doctor?" The black Dalek spits out the Doctor's name like venom.

April clenches her fists as she glances down at the black marble flooring beneath her. Andrymia. Why does this word ring a bell to her?

"It was," the Doctor pauses briefly. "And still is the first star to die from the galaxy Andrymia," he shuffles awkwardly. "It was the star right at the edge of the galaxy. Not too far from the black hole."

Then a memory hits April. She is suddenly reminded of the day about three years ago. She stands in the hallway to the house she grew up in London. The Doctor just managed to disintegrate Bruce Fey into ashes before they set off to send Bruce's ashes into a black hole. The black hole in the galaxy Andrymia. Did the Doctor know that this had any connection to the Cytracik at the time?

"Why did you choose to take Bruce Fey's shape shifter to Andrymia?" The black Dalek pushes on.

The Doctor hesitates. "It was just a lucky guess," he says, his voice faltering. "I wanted to pick a galaxy far from the Milky Way."

"Is that the truth, Doctor?"

The Doctor hesitates again. "Yes."

"The Doctor lies!" One of the gold Daleks retorts.

The Doctor then curses in frustration. "Okay I knew about the galaxy Andrymia!" He shouts.

April turns to the Doctor. "What about it?"

The Doctor looks at April hard for a while before speaking. "The galaxy Andrymia is where the shape shifters originated from. I just thought that taking the dust particles of Bruce Fey back to the black hole to destroy him properly would be a better option than taking him to any other black hole."

"We are on the same level of understanding, Doctor." Says the black Dalek.

The Doctor continues to stare down at April, knowing that it is about time he explains everything that he should have told her before. "The shape shifters all came from Andrymia. Like humans, they evolved and have been evolving for centuries. It has only been the last couple of centuries that they settled into a living routine and the shape shifter that has taken on the form of Rodger Barratt became leader of their galaxy. Shape shifters live for thousands of years and the only way they can die is through disease or murder.

"Years ago, not long after I met Rose, Jack informed me that things were going to change for the worse. He briefly told me that the universe's most powerful source hit Earth in 1774 and that we had to destroy it before anyone takes control of it. The Cytracik came from a fallen rock in the fifth star of Andrymia. As the star was dying, it released pieces of rock from its surface, most of which are still floating in the galaxy. But this one managed to soar through time and space and land in your galaxy. The rock hit Earth in Manchester city 1774, but the city wasn't effected at all," he glances up at Max. "You wouldn't have noticed it at the time, and humans would have passed it on the streets thinking it was just a mere rock. But when the fifth star died, all shape shifters were aware of the loss of this fallen rock and panic arose.

"As soon as they were aware of the rock's whereabouts, they made plans to retrieve it. When they found it in Manchester, they quickly learnt the ways of Earth and started mutating themselves to look like other people they have seen. Rodger Barratt was the first to identify the power of this rock. The other fallen rocks from the fifth star remained floating in the galaxy, but this particular rock was so powerful it was able to fly through time and space. Rodger Barratt did nothing but create what eventually turned out to be the Cytracik. The black box with more power than anyone can imagine. But little did he know at the time that the power of this rock was radiating out of Earth and across the universe. Every single living species in the universe could detect the power coming from the rock, enticing them to it.

"I don't think Rodger Barratt was aware of exactly what he was creating at the time and what it would do. But once created, he kept it as his own for years. Himself and his army of shape shifters growing stronger and stronger each year. The problem was that the shape shifters, although still in hiding in Manchester, were fully aware that the rest of the universe were alerted of this power. And they did everything that they could to keep it safe.

"And that is when Heat Miles was born. The following year that the rock hit the Earth, the shape shifters managed to entice as many human beings as possible to become their soldiers to keep the Cytracik safe. One of them being Lucien," the Doctor sighs heavily. "It didn't take UNIT long to find out. Jack told them what he told me, but it was too late when we made action. The Cytracik was made. The power of that rock being concealed inside that box.

"UNIT tried reasoning with the shape shifters. Trying to banish them from this galaxy and to have the Cytracik destroyed. Obviously the shape shifters were not so easily persuaded. But then this lot turned up," he gestures to the Daleks, "and the Battle of the Cytracik commenced..." the Doctor lets out a shaky breath as memories of that battle flashes across his eyes. "Well you know what happened after that. Your father had the power to open up the Cytracik. Max was sent back in time to a year after the Cytracik came about, and you," he looks at April. "You were left with the Island and the Black Lighthouse. Henceforth the Ice Girl and the Lost Brother became known across the whole universe.

"Rodger Barratt ordered one shape shifter to take on the form of Bruce Fey and stay with you. The plan was to kill you there and then but because of the prophecy of the Cytracik, it said that neither of the twins are to be killed till the battle commences again."

"The Day of Destruction." April says sullenly.

The Doctor nods. "As soon as that battle was over. The shape shifters went over to the parallel world and killed the real Rodger Barratt. Then they tortured Aaron Brimikawood in some kind of hell. They thought that they could use his knowledge about the Battle..."

"Because Aaron is the only one who knew everything about the battle and his parallel self." Declan interrupts.

"Yeah," the Doctor says regretfully. "So then the shape shifters followed the beach in your nightmare. Found out that it circles a cold star and created life on this Island," the Doctor then looks sorrowfully at April. "That is why I took you to Manchester. The aim was to land in 1774 and get to the rock before the shape shifters did, but I guess time stopped us and made me land a year later when it was too late. Like they always say, Time Heals, but that never will," he says sadly. "I had no idea where Max was. I presumed he was dead. That's why I never told you anything because you had no idea of your twin. But I thought that going to Manchester would give us a chance to destroy the Cytracik. I hoped that we would never be here. But of course things got a little complicated with the Devil and the Weeping Angels."

April stares at the Doctor for a long while. All this new information is a surprise to April and for a moment she does not know how to take it all in. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" She asks after a long pause.

The Doctor draws in a shaky breath. "I wasn't so sure myself. Knowing how you suffered while with Bruce, I thought I would tell you once you settled down and got used to me. But it never seemed to be the right time."

"You could have told me when you told me about my parents."

"I thought that was enough information for you to understand at the time. I have made many mistakes with you in the past. You know that."

April continues to stare at the Doctor, the look on her face being quite unreadable. "Why would the shape shifters create something even they don't have any control over?"

"That's the ugly greed for power." Joseph, who stands to April's right says darkly.

"Very clever." The black Dalek then says stonily.

April's scowl deepens as she looks at the black Dalek. "But that does not explain why you came through the void."

"We were chosen." The gold Daleks insist in unison.

April feels a protective hand on her shoulder as they all look at the Daleks surrounding them.

"They lie." Declan says deeply.

"We were chosen." The Daleks chorus once again.

"TELL US THE TRUTH!" The Doctor bellows and all the Daleks remain silent. There is a long pause as the Doctor and the black Dalek stare at each other. The Doctor refusing to say any more, or even make a move until the Daleks explain themselves.

"We want the Cytracik for ourselves." The black Dalek says slowly.

The Doctor snorts as he retreats from the Dalek. "Yeah and so does the rest of the universe."

"But the rest of the universe were not there for the start of the Battle of the Cytracik!" The black Dalek's voice is suddenly shrilly.

The Doctor stares at the Dalek, remembering the way the Daleks spoke like this when they were begging for his help. At that time they were scared and turned to the Doctor to help them. It is as if once again the Daleks are overcome with madness, but only this time for the Cytracik.

"The Daleks fought your people in the Time War and we survived. We have fought you many times, Doctor, and no matter how many times you may think you defeat us, we always come back. Our race is constantly growing and evolving. Skaro still stands and we will always rise again. The Cytracik will make the Daleks invincible.

"We learnt of the Cytracik the same time as UNIT did. We knew that they would want to destroy it. So we destroyed them to keep the Cytracik safe. The shape shifters knew that we were overriding them with power for the Cytracik. It would be us if Declan Hollerford had not got there first. When the Cytracik opened for him everything changed and we lost our power. The Daleks had to fall back and recover."

"What do you mean recover?" The Doctor asks with a sense of mild confusion.

"The Cytracik being opened by Declan Hollerford had an effect on us all. The Daleks were weakened from it, so we returned to Skaro to recover. There we made plans to find the parallel version of the Hollerford family. We wanted to recreate the Battle of the Cytracik. We thought that killing the parallel Hollerford's and the parallel UNIT will remove any threats towards the Cytracik."

The Doctor nods, suddenly understanding. "So that's why you begged for help. You had just recovered from that blow and were desperate for any help you could get," the Doctor sighs in exasperation. "Why didn't I see this before?"

"You destroyed our Dalek King and his army!" The black Dalek yells somewhat hysterically. "You melted them to the ground until they were nothing! But the Dalek race continues to live on without our King and our order. We have survived many years without our master, Davros. I took charge and we did everything we could to own the Cytracik.

"When you burned our army to the ground, the process of creating the twins was taken straight back to Skaro. We worked day and night to create this beast," the black Dalek's voice slows down as it talks about the twin Daleks. "We relived the Ice Girl's nightmare. We watched it from the Black Lighthouse. We watched the twin Daleks fly out of the Black Lighthouse to exterminate her. This nightmare was a prophecy to us. It informed us on what was to be done next in order to have the Cytracik.

"So we manipulated the Ice Girl's nightmare into her half of the twin Daleks. We then took her memory of the Lost Brother to make his part of the Dalek."

"How did you manipulate my nightmare?" April hisses through gritted teeth.

The black Dalek's eye rests upon April. "Through your pain and keeping a Dalek shadow overlooking your every move."

April's breath catches in her throat and she feels someone's hand in hers. So this is the reason why April felt the fiery pain in her chest every time she woke up from her nightmare. She suddenly remembers back in Manchester, young Phillip knew about the shadow behind her back. He said to her that the shadow is not happy with what she has done. All this time the Daleks have been using her nightmare to create a replica of herself into a Dalek. And they have been watching her every move.

"The twin Daleks were completed a year ago."

"But that still doesn't explain why you came through the void." The Doctor interjects sharply.

The black Dalek turns to look at the Doctor again. "We made sure that we would be the ones to hold possession over the Cytracik. It is said that only the powerful will be able to travel through that void. A void created by the Cytracik itself. After you burned our army and our King to the ground, we had to move fast. We found the Genesis Ark, which you sent into a parallel dimension. When we retrieved it, we used it to extract our souls."

"Extract your souls?" The Doctor queries quietly.

"The Genesis Ark was built to generate thousands of Daleks at one time. But this time we have extracted our souls from our bodies and placed it in the Genesis Ark. The Ark is safely back in Skaro and as you know, Doctor, Skaro is invisible and out of your sight."

"Why would you do that? And how would extracting your souls make you powerful?" The Doctor says, his voice breaking.

"It is a step towards our immorality."

Declan steps forward. "How can you extract your soul from your body? Surely that will be painful and leave harsh consequences."

"It was a painful process, but the Daleks will do whatever it takes to have the Cytracik!" The black Dalek yells. "From storing our souls in the Genesis Ark, we are half immortal. We have nearly destroyed ourselves for the Cytracik because once we have it, we will be completely immortal, and you will never destroy us! Even if you destroy our shells here, part of our souls are still in Skaro and we can regenerate again. No other species has done such a thing for the Cytracik."

"So that is why you came through the void, deeming yourselves the next to have the Cytracik. Because you removed your souls to become half immortal. You've mutilated yourselves just for power," a dark shadow flickers across Declan's face. "That is some dark work you have done there. I don't know how you're still alive. You're in a state of limbo."

"We're feeding off the twins. The longer they suffer, the stronger we become."

There is a horrible silence that echoes across the spaceship. April feels Max's hand firmly on her arm. The black Dalek waits for a response from the Doctor, but when there isn't one, it speaks again.

"This Island will be obliterated by the cold star at the end of the Day of Destruction."

The Doctor, April, Max, Declan and Joseph all stare at the black Dalek.

"Go on." The Doctor says through gritted teeth.

"When Heat Miles came to this Island, they knew that it would not last long as it rotates the cold star. Cold stars are impossible and this one is staying still until the prophecy of the twins is fulfilled."

"And what exactly does this prophecy say?" Declan snarls.

"That the twins will be killed by what the Cytracik has given them."

April feels Max's hand on her arm tighten as they both know what it is they are going to die from. April will be exterminated by the Daleks and Max – if not killed by his Dalek self – will die of his disease. April's scowl deepens and can't help but notice that Max's health currently does not seem to be as bad as it was back in Manchester. In fact she has not heard his cough since they arrived at this Island. Is he cleared from the disease? Was he supposed to die in Manchester, and the fact that he is no longer there, he is free from the disease? It does not keep him safe from the Daleks, but April makes a mental note to herself to ask him how his health has been as soon as they leave the Dalek spaceship.

"Once the Battle of the Cytracik is over, this Island has no purpose," the black Dalek continues. "Once the twins have been killed the way they are supposed to, the Black Lighthouse will have completed its purpose. As soon as we have the Cytracik, we will leave as the most powerful species in the universe and everything else will be left to be obliterated on the Island.

"However the shape shifters have other ideas. They believe that they are going to keep the Cytracik after the battle. They have planted a bomb under the ground's surface and they plan to trigger it as soon as they have the Cytracik. They think they can trick all species of the universe to the Island and kill them off. But they don't know that the Daleks know. They don't know that we will win."

"Well you have many of us who oppose you, Daleks," the Doctor hisses. "How will the Island be obliterated?"

There is a brief pause of hesitation and then a holographic screen appears in mid air, just in front of the Tardis. They all turn around to watch the screen as it shows the village on the Island. At first everything seems fine. The roads are completely empty but there is a large crowd in the festival right outside of the woods.

Suddenly there is loud, chilling bang and a flash of white light. This is then followed by horrific screams of terror from the two and a half thousand villages as they try to run to safety. The bombs just below the ground's surface erupts in the village centre at first. And then it is sporadic. There are more bangs and flashes of brilliant white light as the bombs continue go off sporadically.

The cul-de-sac explodes, and then the arena goes off and then the high street. The villagers frantically run away from the festival and the woods as the ground trembles vigorously. There is another loud bang and flash of white light. Then three different meteors fly through the air. Each meteor is a large rock of ice, fallen from the cold star. The meteors soar through the air and hit down to the ground, destroying all land near it. Two more meteors crash land on the Island.

The screams on the Island echo through everyone's ears.

Soon there are continual flashes of white light fading in and out as the whole Island now shakes manically. Then the holographic screen is completely covered in while light as there is a loud rumble and the last of the screams ring out.

And then there is nothing. Only silence.

The Doctor is the first to speak, his voice is weak after the shock of what they have just watched. "So this is what is to become of us as soon as the battle is over?"

"That is what we suspect," the black Dalek replies sternly. "We assume that whatever the outcome is going to be, the shape shifters are going to set off the bombs as soon as it is over."

"And so they'll kill us all. And by the looks of it, nothing can survive this obliteration."

There is a short pause of silence as no one can find the words to say anything. But then there is a sound of something moving in one of the corridors at either side of the landing is which they are standing in. It is the sound of a Dalek moving.

"All hail the twin Daleks." One of the gold Daleks announces.

And then a very large Dalek appears from one of the round corridors, with two heads and two sets of guns attached to its body. The gold Daleks disperse sideways to create a pathway to allow the twin Daleks to glide into the centre of the landing.

The Doctor, Declan and Joseph suddenly stand guard of April and Max, pushing them behind them, as if trying to create a protective barrier. Max still holds onto his sister as he stares directly at his self in a Dalek form. He has never felt so revolted in his life.

The twin Daleks move swiftly through the gap and stops in the clearing, just in front of the Doctor. For a long while, no one knows what to say. The twin Daleks stare blankly and April and Max. April can see the way her parallel father keeps her close behind him and the Doctor. But like always, the Doctor is the first to speak.

"I never thought I would ever see a more unpleasant sight." He says.

"The Daleks will become invincible," the black Dalek says sternly. "And the twin Daleks makes us one step closer. The twins will be exterminated. We will override the shape shifters and the Cytracik will be ours."

April can feel the Doctor pushing her and Max back towards the Tardis.

"I think we have over stayed our welcome." He says darkly, looking at the twin Daleks in disgust.

"We will see you again tomorrow when the Day of Destruction begins."

The Doctor snorts. "I don't look forward to it."

They take one step backwards towards the Tardis and all of a sudden, they are thrown off their feet as the spaceship shudders.

Panic erupts inside the spaceship as the Daleks panic in this sudden shudder. The ship continues to shake, almost like an earthquake. Everything is chaotic.

April finds herself lying on the black marble flooring, her head searing with pain after hitting it hard after falling. But because of the shaking ship, she finds it difficult to regain her balance. The angry yells from the Daleks ring out in her ears. She leans heavily on her elbows, staring down at the black floor. The shakes start to make her feel dizzy and rather sick. Every so often she feels herself being thrown to the side, but she manages to scramble back onto her knees again.

When April stumbles over for the third time, she feels herself being caught by someone. The next thing she notices is Declan holding her by the elbows and pulling her to her feet. Her father drags her over to the Tardis where Max, the Doctor, Joseph, Rose and Terry stand holding onto each other.

She notices the cuts and bruises all over Terry's and Rose's skin, but is interrupted before she can say anything.

The ship eventually stops shaking. And everything is still for a brief second.

They all stand in front of the Tardis, holding onto each other closely. The Doctor holds Rose to him as they all glare at the Daleks who still keep a gap between them.

"How did you know about that control room?" The black Dalek demands.

"We discovered it the last time we were here," Terry snaps, being the only one who can find the words to speak right now. "We did ask you about it. You know that we knew of it."

"That control room has nothing to do with the Daleks!" The black Dalek sounds somewhat hysterical. "We have tried to destroy it many times. But when we do, it is not there. It is only there when we least expect it."

"Yes we know. That is why I went to investigate it," Terry takes a step forward, ignoring the Doctor to reaches out to stop her. "Did you know that there is a shape shifter in that room that has taken on the form of an Imperial Dalek?"

There is a moment of silence.

"You lie." The black Dalek sneers.

Terry shrugs. "The shape shifter has been put under a sleeping curse. Something will be triggered for it to wake up at the right time. However the last time I came here, I not only found your blood in the corridors, I also found it in that control room. That is where I came into contact with your blood, giving me these strange human emotions. The shape shifters have used your blood to bind that human control room to your ship. They made it look like a control room to fool you into believing that it is meant to be part of your ship. But they didn't think that you would outsmart them. So every time you tried to destroy it, the control room purposefully vanished from your sight.

"Although that shape shifter as an Imperial Dalek has been under a sleeping curse, it has also been recording your every move in its unconscious state. So I hate to break it to you, Daleks, but Rodger Barratt and the rest of the shape shifters are fully aware what you have done by making yourself half immortal just for the Cytracik. And all this time they have done everything to try and stop you. The Island for a start," Terry then folds her arms. "You may have come through the void in the Black Lighthouse, but you have many flaws. And we'll stop at nothing bring you and the shape shifters down."

There is a second of silence.

"Bloody hell," Max breathes out heavily. "How did you manage to realise all of that so quickly?"

Terry turns to look at Max with an arrogant smirk slapped across her face. "I'm pretty good, aren't I?"

The Doctor's heart suddenly swells with pride at Terry and he can't help but smiling.

Terry turns back to the Daleks. "Oh and finally, that shape shifter is awake. Just so you know."

There is a brief silence as the Daleks stare at them. Then the black Dalek speaks, its voice lower and more sinister than usual.

"The Cytracik always wins."

Then fire burns.

April can feel it in her chest, rising up to her throat. And before she knows it, she is screaming in agony. And so is Max. The twins are blinded by the pain as they fall to their knees. The Doctor manages to catch April whereas Declan catches Max before they hit the floor, but neither of the twins notice for they are too overcome with pain. They shake vigorously.

The Doctor stares up at Declan. "We need to take them back to Jack Gruntler!"

The effect from the Cytracik is killing them.


	33. XXXII - The empty hospital

**XXXII  
The empty hospital**

_The Island  
__Hospital, A&E department_

He walks through the streets on the Island and turns down roads he has not seen yet. With a cigarette held tightly between his lips, he takes in long deep drags as he walks on, taking in every bit of tobacco in the cigarette. There is a breezy wind in the air with flecks of rain falling here and there. The streets are just how they should be: a little busy with a buzz of excitement for the Day of Destruction. If they left things as they were with the havoc, the Island would probably have become a ghost town.

As soon as the news was delivered that Alic has finally awoken since his fall in the battle at the arena, Will left Jack Gruntler's house immediately. On his walk to the hospital, he has received calls from Sarah-Jane, Rex and Ireen asking him about this, but Will only replied with short answers. It is a huge relief to know that his best friend is alive and finally conscious, but there is still a lot Alic does not know about recent events. And Will knows that Alic will not want to hear the news of Jason from anyone else but him.

Before leaving the house, Will demanded that Aaron remained at Jack Gruntler's and to wait for everyone to return from the Dalek spaceship. Aaron was a little taken aback for receiving orders from his son, but he did not protest.

Now Will walks briskly towards the hospital with his coat collars turned up. He smokes his cigarette very quickly, taking in long drags repeatedly. Once the cigarette has come to its end, Will throws it to the ground before immediately taking out another one and lighting it.

The Island's hospital looks like a large square block of flats, about five stories high, with large rectangular windows running along the side of the building. It is made up of white stone and the large car park is completely filled up with cars, each and every one of the same shiny black colour.

Will strides across the car park with long paces, desperate to get to the hospital. Desperate to get to his best friend. The glass doors open automatically for Will and he is immediately met with the overly clean smell of hospitals.

The hospital seems eerily quiet, despite the filled up car park. There seems to be no visitors or sick patients around, just the odd doctor or nurse here and there. Will, keeping his eyes peeled open, takes slow steps through the reception, is surprised at how quiet his footsteps are along the white tiled flooring. The receptionist, who is sitting behind a large oak desk, does not pay any attention to Will at all. She just leans over the desk, staring down at the mounds of paperwork in front of her.

Not exactly feeling particularly safe in this hospital, Will scans his surroundings as he passes. The silence seeming far too unsettling. As he passes different wards, he can't help but to have a quick glance in each one. However, every bed is unoccupied. The white sheets are perfectly smoothed over the mattress, looking like they have never been used before.

Will passes a couple of nurses as he slowly walks down the corridor. Yet they do not pay any attention to him as they pass by, almost as if he is not even there. Their faces are stony, if not expressionless. Will can't help but think about the workers back in Hotel Soelife who seemed robotic in their movements. The nurses and doctors here are just the same.

This thought, however, leaves Will's mind instantly as he halts sharply, mid step halfway down the corridor. Standing in the middle of the corridor facing Will are two shape shifters, both of which are, as usual, wearing their blue and white fencing suits. However, they are not wearing their fencing helmets. Their black heads with octopus-like tentacles waver in the air. The tadpoles in the air look like black dots in Will's vision.

For a brief moment, Will and the two shape shifters stand there staring in silence. Despite the heads of the shape shifters having no facial features, Will knows that they are staring directly at him. Almost like he can feel their gazes.

Then the shape shifter on the left moves first. It beckons Will over by waving its white-gloved hand. The shape shifters turn and start to walk away. Will has no choice but to follow. With his hands in his trouser pockets, Will steadily walks on after them. Something does not seem quite right here in the hospital and a billion and one different scenarios flutter through Will's mind like a frantic flock of birds. No one really knew anything about there being a hospital here on the Island until after the battle at the arena. The doctors and nurses rushed to their aid to help Alic, despite Martha's desperate attempts to help him.

But the problem is that there are shaper shifters here roaming the corridors. And Alic seems to be the only patient here, despite this being a very large hospital with possibly around another five floors above him. Something is not right here.

The shape shifters eventually stop at a ward and turn to look at Will. The ward's door is closed and Will looks from the door to the shape shifters. For a second Will scans the black heads of the shape shifters, trying to see any sign of an eye or anything. But there is nothing. Their heads are nothing more than a ball of black mass with tentacles attached to it.

Then without saying anything, Will reaches for the door handle and opens the door. The ward is small with only one bed. There is a wooden chair in the corner and the large, rectangular window overlooking the car park. Beside the bed is a wooden bedside table with a vase of flowers.

And there he is: Alic Grange lying in the hospital bed. The thin white sheets look as if they have been thrown off. But Alic's face is somewhat vacant with mild shock as he stares down at his legs. Both his legs look blue with bruises. Will flinches at the thought of his best friend not being able to use his legs ever again.

Will steps in, turns around and looks back at the two shape shifters still standing outside the door. They both stand in the exact same positions as they were when he walked in, but now he is facing them side-on, there is no telling as to where they are looking. Their black heads look just the same at every angle, no matter how you look at it.

Then all of a sudden, the sight of the two shape shifters revolt Will for they are the reason why they are all here fighting for the Cytracik. If it wasn't for them Alic would be walking fine. If it wasn't for them, April wouldn't be suffering. However, if it wasn't for the shape shifters, Will would never have met April. And his parallel self would still be alive. This thought makes Will feel slightly sick and anger boils up inside of him.

Then clenching his jaw, Will slams the door firmly, shutting the shape shifters out of the ward.

"Paralysed from the waist down," Alic says in a low, small voice, a long while after Will slammed the door. "Would you believe it?"

Immediately Will turns around and looks at his best friend who's face seems unnaturally pale. "How are you doing, mate?" Will says, trying to keep his voice light. He drags the wooden chair from the corner to the side of Alic's bed and sits down on the edge. "You've been out for just over twenty-four hours," he pauses as Alic continues to gaze down as his legs. "Do you remember anything?"

Alic does not reply but just stares. Will watches him as he shifts his body ever so slightly on the bed trying to move his legs. They remain unresponsive.

"Alic?" Will continues carefully. "Alic, are you listening to me?"

"Why won't they move?" Alic suddenly cries out in exasperation. He breathes heavily as he frantically tries to make his legs move again. "This isn't real!" Alic protests as he shakes his head. "No. Nope. This is a trick. Will, it's a trick! My legs will move again. I will be able to walk. I can do my job!"

Alic's desperate words are like a punch to the gut for Will. Tears sting his eyes as he watches his best friend helplessly lie there in the hospital bed, unable to move his legs. His best friend he has had since he first started working for UNIT seven years ago. His friend – the strongest from the Myriad Circle – always there to calm things down when it all got too heated. His friend who stood by his side no matter what. The best Officer-Cadet UNIT has ever had is now paralysed.

Will gently places a hand on Alic's shoulder and immediately he stops moving. Alic breathes heavily through his mouth, still staring down at his bruised and unresponsive legs. A tear trickles down his cheek. He then slowly lifts his left hand and gently pats Will's hand on top of his shoulder, as if he is trying to make Will feel better about the situation.

"This is shit." Alic eventually says, his voice accepting.

"I know." Will replies.

Alic breathes in deeply and then exhales heavily. Tears still roll down his face but he tries to keep his voice mutual. "What did I miss?"

"April has gone to the Dalek spaceship. With the Doctor, Max, Declan and Joseph."

"Shit," Alic's eyes widen slightly as he says this. "I'm guessing Jay and April returned safely then?"

Will's voice catches in this throat as he stares down at the bed sheets. The silence speaks louder than words and is enough for Alic to understand. Alic drops his hand from Will's, it landing on the bed somewhat lifelessly.

"Where's Jason?" Alic's voice is stern, if not a little accusing.

"He's gone." Will's voice is a whisper.

"Gone as in somewhere we can get to or..."

"He was killed."

Alic is silent for a long while and neither of them move. Will searches Alic's face for any sign of emotion but there is none other than his tear splattered cheeks. He still stares down at his legs.

"Killed by who?"

Will falters for a brief moment. "Monroe."

The silence that follows is chilling. But the silence is quickly broken when Alic cries out in anger. The next thing Will sees is the vase of flowers from the bedside table being thrown across the ward and smashing against the opposite wall. Alic screams for a long while, throwing all the debris from his bedside table across the room. Including the television remote which smashes as it hits the wall. And then Alic is screaming and crying as he punches his pillows over and over again.

Will sits there and watches his friend fall apart, probably feeling the same bitter revenge towards Monroe as he does. But Will says nothing. Nor does he attempt to calm Alic down. Right now, Will believes that it is best to let Alic take out all of his anger.

It is a long time before Alic calms down and lies back down on the bed, sweat pouring down his face. His hands shake with rage.

"How did it happen?" Alic's voice breaks.

Will shakes his head. "April didn't explain exactly how," he then sighs heavily. "She won't talk about it. She hasn't been the same since she came here."

"I don't think any of us have," Alic frowns. "How's Martha?"

"Not good at all. She's currently staying at Ellis' house, but she hasn't left her bed since she got there."

Alic lifts his hands and rubs his face, wiping away the sweat. "She really loved Jason for years before they even got together. She just never admitted it. But we all knew how much she loved him."

"Yeah," Will breathes. "But she hit April."

Alic glances at Will for the first time since he arrived. "Why?"

Will looks at Alic for a long time before speaking. "April seems to claim that it is her fault Jason is dead."

Alic's face darkens. "How was it her fault if Monroe did the act of killing?"

"I don't know," Will says quietly. "I don't know if Monroe said something to make her believe it or if she actually did something to let it happen."

Alic looks away from Will and back down at his legs. "I don't think we'll ever know what happened."

"We don't even have a body to bury."

There is a moment of silence before Alic starts to cry again. With his head bowed low, Alic's shoulders shake as he sobs uncontrollably. He then falls sideways and Will catches him, letting his best friend lean his full weight into him.

And from then on, Will does nothing else but hold onto his best friend who sobs.

But Alic eventually speaks through his sobs. "You'd better win with this revolution."


	34. XXXIII - Eye of the weapon

**XXXIII  
Eye of the weapon**

_The Island  
__The Barn  
__01:30, Fourteen and a half hours until the Day of Destruction_

Will leaves the hospital shortly after Alic falls back asleep. He finds the two shape shifters awaiting him patiently by the door to escort him out of the hospital. With reluctance, Will leaves Alic's ward, only looking back once before exiting. He marches down the corridor with his head held high and a harsh scowl formed onto his face. He marches sternly, his arms swinging rigidly at his sides and his jaw clenched tightly. He marches on as if he is heading straight into battle.

The two shape shifters silently follow behind him. The hospital is still as empty and as eerily quiet as it was when Will first walked down here a couple of hours ago, but now this silence and emptiness is the least of Will's concerns.

_You'd better win with this revolution_.

They were the last words Alic said to Will before falling asleep. And Will is not one to let his best friend down. While back in the parallel world, not even twenty-four hours after April left, Will started making plans to reunite with her. He knew that the only way he was to see her again was to go to this Island. So Will did everything he could to research into this Island and find where it is. He shut himself away from his family and his friends from UNIT in desperation to find ways to this place. He even regretfully turned to Morgarn in means to try to move on from April on days when he felt less hopeful.

Will was lucky enough to come across Ellis Lustworve. Using Declan's special computer he keeps hidden in the bottom floors of the UNIT base, Will was able to access data all about the Island. This is how he learnt all about Heat Miles and the village on the Island. He learnt all about the Day of Destruction and about the cold star that had suddenly appeared in the sky. And through this computer, he came across a message Ellis was sending out to UNIT. It was a call to help.

Will did not think twice before replying to Ellis' message, who claims to have been sending out a call for help to UNIT since he started working at Heat Miles. Ellis had access to information about all universes in the Heat Miles base. And that's where he stumbled across files about UNIT and their connection to the Doctor and the twins.

For the next two years, Will and Ellis stayed in contact through that computer. And here is where they made plans for the revolution. Will promised that he would come alone to help and Ellis gathered people he knew who would be more than happy to take part in the revolution. Then Will and Ellis got to know each other, knowing that the only way they could trust one another would be to know everything about each other. So Will told Ellis about his past and vice versa. And so Will learnt of the man who lost his wife to Heat Miles five years ago, and has the amazing ability to turn himself invisible, and to split himself in two so that he can be in two places at once. This is something he kept a secret from Heat Miles. Will made a vow to not discuss Ellis' ability to anybody. The only other person who knows of this is his daughter, Amelia.

When Will found a way to transport to the Island (stealing as many weapons and devices from Declan's office as he could), Will gave Ellis a date to go there. It was just before Will left to go to the Island that he turned to Morgarn one last time. However, he was not expecting her to follow him to the Island and to volunteer for the Day of Destruction.

Since their first meeting at Ellis' house, Ellis gave Will and the rest of the revolution a small clip-on silver earring that they can attach to the top of their left ear. They use this as a means to commute to each other when a meeting is needed. The earring grows ever so slightly hot and immediately the revolution goes to the barn for a meeting.

And as Will marches down the corridors of the hospital, he fingers the earring on his left ear. He presses down on the earring till he hears it click, while trying to pretend that he is only just scratching his ear. As he drops his hand, he can feel the earring warming up, and he quickens his pace. And so do the shape shifters.

Soon Will is outside of the hospital walls and he marches across the full car park without another glance backwards. It is dark. The sky is covered in a layer of stars and there is a bitter chill in the air around him. He knows that now he is out of the hospital, the shape shifters are no longer with him, but he can feel them staring after him from the entrance doors. Will keeps his eyes glued to to the exit of the car park.

Soon he reaches the exit and he turns the corner behind a bush so that he is out of shot from the shape shifters. He takes one step forward and then he enters the barn. And there are the ten members of the revolution, including Morgarn. Zane, Orion, Buddy, Joshua, Kace, Kathyrn, Billie, Blake and Ellis stand around the wooden bench in the centre of the barn, discussing something amongst each other. However they automatically stop as soon as Will walks in.

Ellis steps away from the group and walks over to Will who is marching into the barn. "How is he?" Ellis asks, his voice somewhat careful.

"He'll be fine," Will mutters before he stops marching. "We need to make more plans for the Day of Destruction."

"Haven't we already discussed this?" Orion snarls, sounding rather irritated at having been asked to come here in the middle of the night.

"We have but we need more plans," Will sighs. "I don't know. I'm starting to doubt that what we have planned is a strong enough idea."

There is a brief silence.

Billie is the first to speak as she folds her arms. "We said that the first thing we'll have to do is to dislodge all the traps in the woods before they kill us."

"Yes but I don't think it's going to take ten of you to do that," Will snaps. "The woods is only so big. Things are different now that April has volunteered. I'm sure she probably has other ideas but she needs as much help as she can get."

Ellis clears his throat. "I agree with Will," he says. "We can still meet at the end to focus on destroying the Cytracik. But we don't need all ten of us to remove all the traps. Just for extra precaution, I think at least half of us should stick to the original plan and the other half to work on hunting down the aliens. Truth is I'm feeling far more underprepared for this than I hoped."

"And what is pretty boy going to do about it?" Orion hisses.

"Oi!" Will snaps as he steps closer to Orion. "There's no point cursing at me. Remember who it was who brought this revolution together."

"Well aren't you the hero."

Orion and Will stand very close to each other, glaring into each other's eyes until they are pulled apart. Kace pushes them apart. Everyone in the barn looks more than irritated.

"Look, just for now be friends. Or even mere acquaintances if that's too hard. Just until the Cytracik has been destroyed. Right now we have a task at hand to do and more than anything, we should be discussing who is going to take up Hoffman's place in the race." Kace says calmly looking from Will to Orion with a knowing look in her hazel eyes.

Will and Orion stare at each other for a little while longer before Will offers out his hand. Orion takes it firmly in his large hand and shakes it. When the shake is done, Orion and Will immediately turn away from each other. Orion moves towards the bench, rubbing at his bald head and Will turns back to Ellis who is staring up at him.

"So who's going to take the free spot?" Billie asks, but this is followed by silence.

Will folds his arms across his chest and glances over to Morgarn who stands at the other end of the barn, leaning against the wooden wall. When she eventually catches his eyes, he shakes his head no. For a moment Morgarn's face is completely blank but then she nods her head in acknowledgement.

"It's really between Joshua and Morgarn," Billie continues. "Shall we draw names out of a hat?"

"Let Joshua volunteer," Morgarn speaks up and everyone turns to look at her. "I feel that he may be more of use in those woods than I."

For a moment everyone just stares at Morgarn, not saying anything. But then Billie takes in a sharp breath.

"Do you want to take part in the race, Joshua?" Billie asks, glancing at a terrified looking Joshua who suddenly looks like a child again.

"He's just a kid." Ellis mutters more to Will but Will does not respond.

Joshua trembles in fear but then nods his head. "I'll do it." And then as soon as he says it, he suddenly stands up straighter, almost as if he is ready to take on the world. Will watches him but Ellis looks down at his feet, his lips forming a tight line.

"Okay," Kace says. "Now what?"

"I guess we shall split the team. Who's willing to take down the traps, and who's willing to track down the aliens?" Ellis says quietly.

"How long will we need before we meet up again?" Zane asks.

"An hour?" Buddy suggests.

"The woods are a vast land," Ellis says as he scratches his beard. "We'll just have to use our earrings to meet in the middle," Ellis then rubs his eyes. "There's a clearing in the centre of the woods. I remember seeing it on the map. And as I believe it is where the shape shifters will be going for the battle. It's easy to find."

"You don't suppose the shape shifters will take on the form of people we know to trick us?" Billie wonders aloud.

There is silence as everyone thinks about this.

"I guess it's a reminder to not trust anyone in the woods." Will says darkly.

"I second that." Orion mutters more to himself but everyone hears.

Ellis then tilts his head backwards and whistles. "We've got nine hours and we're as close to destroying the Cytracik then we were five months ago."

"Five months for you, two years for me." Will says bitterly. While Will and Ellis were communicating to each other, a mere five months only past on the Island before Will arrived, yet for Will, a long two years went by.

"It's fine. We've got this," Kace says, trying to sound more confident than anyone really feels. "We're the revolution. We're the only people on this Island who knows the truth about the Major and Heat Miles," she points at Will and Ellis. "You both brought us together knowing that we will stop at nothing to bring this world down. Yeah it is the only world we have, and a pretty shoddy one at that. But a future without Heat Miles and the Day of Destruction is a future we deserve. We will fight for our freedom. We'll fight for the end of the Cytracik. If it saves the twins and the Doctor then brilliant. But if it saves everyone on this Island, then all the better."

Kace suddenly stops short when the lights in the barn suddenly go out and they are completely surrounded by darkness. Will looks through the darkness in the barn, aware of Ellis' steady breathing to his right. He can just about see the open entrance of the barn, but the moonless sky does not create any light.

There is a chilling silence around them as no one dares to move. Although everything suspects the same thing: their hideout has been discovered and they are about to be caught. Will slowly places a hand on his belt where his gun is, ready to attack if needs be.

The air around them becomes chillier and Will is suddenly brought back to his days in Antarctica. The air always seemed as chilly as it does now every time they were near the Nobody's.

Then a manic laughter echoes around the barn. A laughter that is so familiar to Will it makes his blood boil. However this time, the laughter seems more manic than it ever did before.

Suddenly there is a flash of blue light and then Will is falling to the ground in excruciating pain. The darkness consumes him. And then there is nothing.

* * *

April finds herself walking down a dark corridor. The walls around her are covered in shiny black tiles. They curve and meet at the top like an archway. The floor however is like stone. Her feet echo down the corridor which looks like it has no end. The corridor is only dimly lit by the odd oil lamp here and there. But April has this weird wave of confidence so that she knows exactly where she is going.

Somewhere further up the corridor, there is the sound of water dripping into a puddle. Each drip echoes loudly down the corridor along with April's loud footsteps. However her shoes feel far heavier than what she usually feels. It's as if every step she takes is being weighed down. Yet this is a minor thought hidden at the back of her mind. Instead her head is filled with something she cannot comprehend.

She has to focus on the task at hand. And she is filled with an overwhelming urge for revenge.

The whispers around her fill her ears, almost as if the whispers are inside her head.

"_Don't give him a chance. You know you've been waiting for this moment for years. Kill him_!"

April's lips curl upwards into smirk as she quickens her pace. She is desperate to find the prisoner she captured from the barn. The whispers in her mind continue, telling her to kill and she will abide every rule. She will not let them down. She is the weapon and she will get the revenge she deserves.

Just up ahead, there is a light coming from above. And on the floor in the light is a man lying on the floor. For a split second April stops walking as she observes her prisoner on the ground. This man is still unconscious. But April wants him conscious before she kills him. She wants to see the look in those blue eyes before he dies.

April then starts to hurriedly walk towards the man, feeling the fiery anger rise inside of her. She clenches her fists, wanting to beat this man to a pulp, knowing that he will wake up from the blow. She wants him to suffer as much as he made her suffer.

The man on the ground gets closer and closer. And once April is mere steps away, she raises her fist to attack.

"Don't do it."

Suddenly very fearful, April jumps at the male's voice and immediately drops her fist. Standing just across from the unconscious man is Rodger Barratt. He stands there firmly on two legs without a cane for support. He is looking over to April who looks down at the unconscious man and back at Rodger Barratt.

"I did not send you to kidnap Will Sullivan for you to kill him, Monroe," Rodger Barratt's voice is low and sharp, making April suddenly feel small. "We need him alive. But you can torture him as much as you like. As long as you keep him alive."

Rodger Barratt looks directly at April as he says this and all of a sudden, April is amused by his comment. "What? Like you did to me all those years? Left me to rot in a silent cell where I had nothing but my mind to live for." April says in a voice that is not her own.

Rodger Barratt does not take his eyes off April. "We did it for your own good, Monroe."

"How many centuries was I in there for?" April hisses.

"The time that passes does not matter."

"HOW MANY?!" April then bellows, so overcome with anger.

For a moment Rodger Barratt continues to stare at April as if he is contemplating something. But then he sucks in a breath before speaking. "Long enough for you to be like this."

"You drove me crazy." April spits through gritted teeth.

"No, we freed your mind. It has done you a favour."

April says nothing more on the matter. But the whispers in her head tell her to go with the flow. To follow Rodger Barratt's orders for the time being.

"Time heals, Monroe Setzik. And it will heal you. You just need to let it."

April steadies her breathing as she looks down at the unconscious Will Sullivan on the ground. Her want for revenge slowly subsides away as she stares down at this man she once thought was a friend. She then looks up at Rodger Barratt with her eyes. Rodger Barratt nudges Will's shoulder with his foot, and immediately Will wakes up.

Will wakes up with a start and panics, scrambling on the floor, but April hauls him up onto his feet and pins him to the wall. The anger sears up inside her and she can feel her army of Nobody's coming here to support her. She looks deeply into Will's blue eyes, her teeth clamped together. Will looks weak and pitiful as he stares at her. He knows what she wants to do.

"Please," he says weakly, his voice breaking as he speaks. "You don't have to do this."

This comment only makes April feel angrier.

"You are our weapon," Rodger Barratt says as Lucien joins him. "You will do as we say. And without fail."

April continues to stare at Will. "What is your plan?" She hisses is a low snake-like voice. "Tell us everything that the Doctor is doing. Tell us how April Hollerford volunteered for the Day of Destruction."

Will says nothing and for a second, April hesitates.

"You don't want to make us your enemy." April says, holding onto Will tighter.

"Torture him." Rodger Barratt orders calmly.

Using all of her strength that is holding Will against the wall, April manages to throw Will across the corridor. He lands in a heap on the stone floor and without further ado, she marches straight over to him. Will barely manages to get up on his hands and knees before April uses her power to torture him. She throws her hands forward and a force hits Will, sending him into fits of agony. Will clutches his body as he screams out in pain. April feels joyful to put Will Sullivan in this much pain. She throws her hands forward constantly, sending out jets of force trying to destroy Will.

"April, get up now!"

April shakes her head and continues to torture Will, hearing both Rodger Barratt and Lucien laughing. But then someone is vigorously shaking her shoulder and soon the view of the dark corridor and torturing Will vanishes...

April wakes up in the spare bedroom to Jack Guntler's house. Rose, Terry and Rex Middleton look over her. All three faces are pale and twisted in anguish.

Rose breathes out heavily. "She's still suffering from the Island." she says to Terry.

April finds her body trembling as she tries to remember everything she saw. "Will..." April manages to say.

"He's not here." Rex says calmly.

April pushes Rose's hand off her shoulder and tries to sit up. "They've got him!" April suddenly panics. "They're torturing Will! They're going to kill him!" April's words roll into one being incoherent, but before she has the chance to finish speaking, she leans over the side of the bed and vomits violently onto the floor.

Rose jumps out the way. "Get the Doctor!" She snaps and Terry runs out the room. "April, what did you see?"

"Will is being tortured by Monroe!" April cries, completely panicked before vomiting again, her throat and chest burning. She is in agony. "Rodger Barratt has got him and they're torturing him in some dark place," April struggles for breath. "They want to know our plans for the race."

Rose looks completely bewildered. "April, it must be a dream."

"It wasn't a dream!" April shouts.

"We'd better send out word." Rex says darkly.

Rose continues to look at April. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because I was Monroe."


	35. XXXIV - Epiphany

**XXXIV  
Epiphany**

_The Island  
__Jack Gruntler's residence  
__06:00, nine hours until the Day of Destruction_

Rose helps a weak, trembling April down the wooden stairs to the living room. And the moment they hit the floor of the living room, a somewhat disturbed looking Doctor comes bursting into the house, followed by Max, Ireen, Aaron, Sarah-Jane and Martha.

"I've just got your message," the Doctor says, briefly glancing at Terry. "What's happening?"

Rose, still holding onto April is the first to speak. "April started muttering and screaming in her sleep again," she notices the way the Doctor immediately looks deflated as she says this. "She claims that she was in Monroe's head."

"What?" Sarah-Jane gasps.

The Doctor looks desperately from April, to Terry to Rose.

Rose shrugs, feeling utterly helpless. "Apparently they have taken Will. They're torturing him or something."

Aaron stumbles backwards slightly and grips onto the chair nearest to him. Immediately Ireen stands by his side and holds onto his arm.

"It's okay," she says softly. "We'll find him. It might not be true."

No one has ever seen Brigadier Aaron Brimikawood look as scared as he does right now. His face ghostly white, his eyes wide in fear and he grips onto the back of the chair as if his life depends on it.

"My son..." Aaron whispers.

"We'll get him, sir." Rex says.

"HE'S MY SON!" Aaron yells but lets Ireen hold onto him.

"What exactly happened?" The Doctor asks sternly and Rose only shakes her head in response.

"I...I don't exactly know," Rose stumbles over her words as she glances at April who is staring harshly down at the floor. "She said that she was..."

"I was Monroe," April cuts across Rose as she stands up straighter. "Yeah that's right," April's voice is somewhat malicious, pushing away from Rose, her eyes narrowed. "Whatever it was I was witnessing I was Monroe torturing Will. Rodger Barratt was there with Lucien and so were the Nobody's," April looks directly at the Doctor, her scowl harsher than he has ever seen it before. "They said that Monroe is their weapon."

"Of course he is."

Everyone jumps at the sound of Jack Gruntler's voice as he steps out from the shadows. He looks at each and every one of them.

"What April has just witnessed is something none of you can explain. But I can easily say it's the conjoining of both April's and Monroe's minds. And it is something I will discuss in private with April," Jack then looks over in the Doctor's direction but does not catch his eye. "Ireen, round up Ellis and the revolution. You will find Will alone, but badly injured within the tunnels under the Heat Miles base. He is in the tunnel north of the Island just at the edge of the cliff. If you exit out the front door you'll get there within seconds. Doctor Jones, you should go to him immediately and attend to his wounds. I fear for his mind, not the physical wounds. Aaron, you should go to your son as well. Sarah-Jane, Rose, Terry and Rex will go straight to the barn and wait there. And Doctor," he looks directly at the Doctor. "I want you to go to the Tardis and don't leave until I say so."

"I'll stay here." Max speaks for the first time since he arrived here.

Jack surveys Max for a short while. "You can for a moment."

Everyone nods and does as they are told. April remains where she is, watching everyone as they leave and disappear through the door. And then she is left alone with Jack.

"I suppose you have many questions." Jack says calmly.

"And I suppose you have a lot of explaining to do." April snaps accusingly.

Jack sighs before going over to the kitchen. "Declan and your grandfather will be taken to the barn. Everyone will stay there for as long as they need to be," he glances over at the grandfather clock to his left. "We have nine hours before the Day of Destruction," he looks pointedly at April. "Eight till you have to be there."

In the kitchen, Jack opens up one of the cupboards up on the wall directly above the sink and pulls out a bottle of brandy. He then takes out three glasses, blowing away the dust. Max looks at his sister who is watching Jack pour three glasses of brandy. There is something in her eyes that he has not seen before. A mixture of anger, fear and emptiness.

Jack then slowly carries the glasses back into the living room, handing one each to the twins. He then raises his in a toast.

"Here's to the end of our days." Jack says.

And then simultaneously, they drink their brandy in one. April stares at Jack harshly once she is done.

"Tell me everything." She snaps.

"I think you should sit down." Jack offers.

Without another word, April and Max do as they are told. They sit side-by-side on the sofa while Jack sits down in his armchair. This scene reminds April strongly of his cottage back in Scotland. She remembers the night she first night met Jack. The Doctor and Rose sat down on the sofa and she took the seat in the spare armchair, gaining all the attention from his dog. It was also the night she met her grandfather for the first time, however at the time she saw him nothing more than a butler.

The clock up on the mantelpiece ticks loudly and they all can see that the face is cracked. Just like every clock was back in Manchester. Max whistles as he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Joshua has taken Captain Hoffman's place in the Day of Destruction," Jack says coolly. "I suppose he was meant to be a part of this revolution from the start."

"Tell me everything." April says again, only this time through gritted teeth.

"There's a lot for me to explain to you both. It's going to take some time and I need you both to listen to every word I say."

"We have time," April snaps. "Eight hours precisely. So tell me why I was able to see through Monroe's mind."

"Let's start from the beginning first," Jack pauses for a moment, expecting April to protest, but she does not. "You know the story of your family. Your grandfather was once a General of UNIT in your world. And Andrymia is the galaxy where the shape shifters came from. A rock from the fifth star of the galaxy falls and lands in Manchester 1774. You know what happens then. But when the Battle of the Cytracik started, I took Joseph away from UNIT into safety under my wing. During the battle, of course, what none of us expected, was your father being powerful enough to open the Cytracik, and so he and your mother was killed. No one ever knows what is going to happen when they open the Cytracik. It's always about power and therefore think that the Cytracik will make them even more powerful. In reality the Cytracik is not what it is supposed to be ideally. It chooses one to latch onto. And that happened to be your father. Your father was weak and desperate when the Cytracik chose him. And so it left a prophecy to the only two relatives he had. His children. And the prophecy says..."

"That the twins will be killed by what the Cytracik gave them." Max says robotically.

Jack Gruntler nods. "And so during that time Maxwell was living in Manchester the year after that rock hit the Earth, and is slowly dying from tuberculosis. One of the diseases that was never overcome in those days. And you, April, was left with your nightmare. And you will be killed by the twin Daleks," Jack shifts in his seat. "Skip forward five years and you're both eighteen. Max is the youngest biologist in Manchester, and April meets the Doctor who has been looking for her since your parents death. You destroy Bruce Fey and go on your adventures, blah, blah, blah. But then in Wales, under that church, you stumble across a tarot card reader."

April narrows her eyes, remembering this precise moment. They were hiding under the church after an attack from the Slitheen. "What about that?"

Jack laughs. "I don't suppose you remember anything that woman told you? I don't suppose you really cared that she was foretelling your future."

"I did know." April says a little weaker than she wanted. Images of the death card and the wheel of fortune flashes across her memory.

"There was the constant reminder for change. Which I am exceedingly proud that you have succeeded in. You landing in the parallel world was unintentional and wasn't supposed to happen. But it helped in your change. Allowing the Doctor into your life changed you. Loving Rose changed you. You embraced your life for what it is, April. But she showed you this as your eighth card, showing your inner emotions." Jack pulls out from his pocket a tarot card showing the Hanged Man.

April clenches her fist. She remembers the art work on the card. It is identical to the one she was shown back in Wales.

"That old woman warned you that you will have to deal with Suspension, Suffering and Sacrifice in that order," Jack raises an eyebrow. "Tell me how you you have experienced suspension and suffering since that moment in Wales, April."

April is silent for a moment as she thinks about everything that has happened since she left Wales. They travelled to a few places between Wales and when they went to planet Zorlon. Then they were taken to the Dalek spaceship and she went to the parallel world. She then suddenly remembers.

"After the battle in London," April says in sudden realisation. "We were in suspension for two months before we found out about UNIT."

Jack nods. "Exactly. It took you two months to be brave enough to go back to the base," Jack presses his fingertips together and rests them to his lips thoughtfully. "Why was that?"

April shrugs. "I guess I was doubtful."

"So you kept yourself inside the Tardis for two months. Hopeful that Will Sullivan would come running back to you. Not realising that UNIT had bigger problems to deal with after that battle."

April bites her tongue in anger but says nothing.

"What about suffering?" Jack asks. "And exclude your nightmare."

April looks at her brother. "Your disease."

"Not quite. That is not effecting you as it is him." Jack shuffles in his armchair and groans quietly as he does so.

April thinks about when she was suffering that wasn't physical pain. So she ruled out the explosion in Piccadilly Circus, the time the Nobody came into her hotel room and she hit her head on the sink, and the many times she inflicted pain on herself. She had to think about a time she has felt more suffering than ever before. But then she remembers the time she woke up from when he nightmare had changed. And reality kicked in.

"Being apart from Will." April says quietly.

Jack nods. "Well done. And then we have the same with Maxwell. He was in suspension during those years in Manchester, waiting for you, April."

"We were about twenty-one years old when we met again." Max says.

"Eight years worth of suspension, Maxwell. And what is your suffering, bar your disease?"

Max pauses and knows that he has to mention the one thing he has not spoken about since it happened. "Loosing Edina."

April looks at her brother who's face is hard as he says this.

"But what about sacrifice?" Max asks, immediately wanting to change the subject.

Jack's waves his hand as if batting away a fly. "We will get to that. The next thing I have to talk about is Monore and the Lustworve family. There is a connection between all of you and that connection is of course is the Cytracik," Jack looks quizzically at April. "Has Ellis ever explained how his wife died?"

April shakes her head no. "He mentioned that it happened during the first Day of Destruction."

"Yes. And he's right in saying that, but of course it is not the full story. Ellis' wife was killed by the shape shifters during the first ever Day of Destruction because she was close to opening the Cytracik," Jack pauses for dramatic effect. "She came across it in the woods after passing one of the traps. But they killed her before she even had the chance to. Out of fear, Heat Miles hired Ellis to keep a close eye on him. He must've worked hard enough with them to fool Lucien into accepting his resignation and not removing his tongue."

Max raises his eyebrows. "The Lustworve family are full of surprises."

"Surely the fact that Ellis' wife nearly opened the Cytracik would have triggered something." April wonders aloud.

"Of course it did." Jack says looking directly at April.

April pauses for a second before speaking. "Amelia."

Jack nods.

April glances down at the floor, trying to think about Amelia. "That was why my nightmare changed to her. That was why I was her for part of the nightmare. She's another victim of the Cytracik like we are!" April then hesitates for a moment. "I had another vision that I was her. There were cries coming from the walls of Ellis' house..."

"That is another matter you will not need worry about," Jack sighs heavily. "I'm very disappointed that you didn't figure this out sooner, April."

April scowls harshly again. "Well my mind has been preoccupied."

Jack grunts.

"So what about Monroe?" Max asks but the realisation hits him just as he says this. "No..." He falls back so that he is leaning against the back of the sofa. "He's not..."

"Yes he is," Jack sighs again. "I'm afraid that if it isn't the Daleks who gets to the Cytracik, it will be Monroe."

"How?" April snaps angrily. "How?!" April pushes when Jack does not respond immediately.

"So the Daleks mutilated themselves to become half immortal. Then taking on the Cytracik they will become fully immortal and be the deadliest creatures in the universe."

"Worse then they already are?" Max asks.

Jack ignores his comment. "But little did Heat Miles know the power within Monroe. Yes the poor man severely ill and has had no help or support. But he is a powerful man and everyone has overlooked him. Like in most cases mental health is overlooked. Monroe struggled at UNIT. Blame his mental health. Monroe couldn't deal with the Myriad Circle. Blame his mental health. Monroe created an army of Nobody's. Blame his mental health. Monroe has been trapped in a soundproof cell for centuries and has been reduced to madness. Blame his mental health. Truth is his mental health is not a factor to him being who he is. If Monroe was not schizophrenic or even have borderline personality disorder he would be the exact same person. Okay aside from him struggling to come to terms with the voices in his head is a small factor. But he created that army without those voices. When in that cell, those voices kept him company rather than drive him crazy. It was more of the silence that drove him to madness. The moments when those voices were not there to support him. Those moments when he had to spend time in his own company. And a man with that much hatred for everything in the world is a true candidate for the Cytracik," Jack brushes off invisible dust from his trousers. "So if the Daleks can't get to the Cytracik, then it'll be Monroe."

"Monroe knows this, doesn't he?" April says.

"Unfortunately yes he does."

"So that's why the shape shifters are using him as their weapon. Because they know that he has the power."

"They don't know that right now," Jack says somewhat tiredly. "They knew before but I ordered the Doctor to send Monroe to Heat Miles. I did that knowing that they'll lock him up as torture, believing that it will weaken him."

April nods. "It finally makes sense."

"Heat Miles don't believe that he has that power to open the Cytracik, but they are still keeping an eye on him."

"So that is why I was able to see through Monroe's eyes like I did with Amelia. Because they are connected to the Cytracik like we are."

"What you saw through Monroe's eyes happened in the present moment. Lucky it happened because Will probably would have died if you didn't see that. But your changed nightmare foreshadows the future. It shows a world where you two have been killed by the Cytracik and something else has taken it. So right now you two are the Cytracik's main focus. And then once you two are dead, it'll focus on Amelia. Once it has killed her, it will focus on the next victim. It is why we need to destroy it," Jack then tilts his head to one side. "What were yours and Jason's plans when you volunteered for the Day of Destruction?"

April shrugs. "We didn't have much other than try and get to the Cytracik first."

Jack looks at her knowingly. He knows that there is more than what she is saying but does not say anything about it.

"So how do we destroy the Cytracik?" April asks.

"In ways that no one has yet thought of."

April and Max exchange glances.

"The Cytracik will not be destroyed by any means of force. You'll have to create a paradox," Jack purses his lips for a brief second. "You'll have to kill the victim yourself before the Cytracik or anything else does."

There is a long pause of silence as Jack leaves his words hanging in the air.

"The Doctor will die if you don't. And so will your grandfather. And UNIT. Everyone you know will die if you don't."

"So," Max says sullenly. "After all this, both of us are going to die anyway?"

"Figuratively speaking yes. But not necessarily both of you. One of you will have to do the trick."

"How are we to die then before the Daleks or even Monroe kills us?" April asks.

"I think you know the answer to that, April." Jack's eyes bore into April's.

"Sacrifice," Max says darkly. "If it's anything to go by, we'll do it together."

"To save the ones you love and to truly destroy the Cytracik for what it was, you have no choice but to sacrifice yourselves." Jack stares warily at April. "If you do that then the Cytracik will be destroyed. It will be nothing other than a mere shell of an empty box. You create a paradox and then it'll become meaningless."

April refuses to look at Jack or her brother as the truth sinks in. After spending five years of her life wanting to be dead and having multiple suicide attempts, why is it now the thought of her own death suddenly scares her? She has lived her life since meeting the Doctor, and despite jumping into the river in Manchester, she stayed alive. She stayed alive for her brother. She stayed alive to save the Doctor, and she stayed alive despite seeing Jason die before her.

Jason's death knocked the wind out of April, and from here on, she knows that the idea of happiness is something she can never feel again. But even now she wants to do this for Jason. She wants to fight till the end of the Battle of the Cytracik for him. But if she has to kill herself to save the Doctor, then so be it. The truth is the Doctor isn't all worth it. But right now he is.

"Let's not think about this right now," Max says cautiously, glancing at his sister, scared about what's going through her mind. "The main reason we came here is to end the Battle of the Cytracik. We are all here to fight. And so fight we will."

"April." Jack says in a voice neither of them have heard him speak in before. Concern. Jack does not speak until April looks at him. "Here is something the Doctor does not know. Only your grandfather as he has been attending to my needs. But since the moment we arrived here, Rodger Barratt has been constantly torturing me. Trying to get me to confess the truth about this battle. So if there is anything you should do before you destroy the Cytracik, it is to kill Rodger Barratt."

"I'd be glad to." April says quietly, she then looks at her brother. "I often think about the people I used to know back in London. All those people at the observatory. And my therapist. If I were ever to talk to them about my life now, they'd think I've lost my mind. That I'm stuck on some Class A drug or something."

Max smiles before taking his sister's hand in his.

"This is your time to shine. Show the aliens what it is they're really after. Let them come to you in the woods. Keep them away from the rest of the revolution. Let them find you," Jack hesitates for a second. "It's up to you now."


	36. XXXV - Inside the walls

**XXXV  
Inside the walls**

_The Island  
__Ellis' Lustworve's house  
__07:43, eight hours, seventeen minutes until the Day of Destruction_

Ellis sits at the kitchen table, his elbows resting upon the surface as he stares blankly ahead. His house is quiet. Amelia sleeps upstairs in her room and Ellis can only hope that she stays asleep for the rest of the day. But as it is nearing on eight in the morning, he knows that any time soon she will wake up and come downstairs to join him.

However right now, his mind is preoccupied. Thoughts of what happened on the barn fills his mind as he tries to remember exactly what happened. They were in total darkness, yet the moment the lights came back, everyone was stood exactly where they were before. Everyone was unhurt. There was no sign of a struggle. The only trouble was that Will Sullivan was no longer there.

Orion was the first to react, immediately coming to the conclusion that it was a trick and he has run away to tell everyone of their plans. Yet it was Morgarn to calm him down and understand that that is not what happened. Soon enough the news came to them that Will was kidnapped and tortured.

Now Ellis sits and waits to hear of the news. He cannot go on with the revolution without the man who helped him to start it.

The clocks in the house seem to be ticking louder than usual. The world outside brightens as morning moves on. The autumnal chill in the air blows around his house. It is October thirty-first. The one day of the year Ellis dreads the most.

There is a scratching sound coming from Ellis' wooden front door behind him.

Ellis tenses up before slowly turning around in the chair, looking back at the door. He can just about see silhouettes of tall, dark figures through the frosted window to the door. He knows that someone, or something is trying to break into his house. He can only suspect Heat Miles or the shape shifters.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, while the intruders try to unlock his door, Ellis stands up, keeping his eyes locked on the door. He pulls out a hand gun from its safe pocket from under the table and very carefully, walks into the living room, standing in the centre. He steadies his breathing as he raises his gun and aims at the door.

He will shoot at whatever comes through the door. He will not be played by Heat Miles any more.

The door clicks and for a moment, the figures outside the door pauses. Then the handle turns but the door is still jammed shut. However, Ellis does not have much time to react before his is jumped by his front door being burst open.

And in come the three unlikely candidates: the Doctor, Jack Gruntler and Brigadier Aaron Brimikawood.

The three come running into the house, yelling at Ellis to drop his weapon. Ellis does what he is told without fail and drops his gun to the floor. He then falls to his knees and raises his hands up in surrender as Aaron comes threateningly close to him, pointing a large black gun to him.

The Doctor, however, is busy scanning the room, where Jack stands by Aaron's side, looking down at him. But then they are interrupted by the sound of soft and yet clumsy footsteps running down the stairs.

"Daddy!" Amelia cries as she sees the scene in front of her.

"Daddy is fine," Ellis says calmly, looking up at Aaron in the eye. "There's nothing to worry about."

"Daddy, they're going to kill you!"

"Everything is fine, Amelia." Ellis says this time harshly through gritted teeth.

"How long have you been keeping this secret from us?" Aaron asks, not blinking as he stares down at Ellis, his eyes wild. He then shouts when Ellis does not reply. "HOW LONG?!"

"I don't know what you are talking about." Ellis responds coolly.

"Your abilities," the Doctor says as he steps out from behind Aaron. "You ability to make yourself invisible. And to put yourself in two places at once. How is that humanly possible?"

"I don't know!" Ellis snaps.

"Of course he does. Just look at his left hand. The silver ring on his finger," Jack grabs hold of Ellis' left hand and shows the silver ring to Aaron and the Doctor. "You weren't born with these powers. You just gained them from this ring. Where did you get it from?" Jack's voice is loud and more menacing than it has ever been before.

"I was given it."

"Tell us the truth!" Aaron shouts as he holds his gun to Ellis' temple. "Tell us the truth or I will shoot!"

The Doctor warily glances at Aaron sideways, worried about him.

"Do you think that will solve all problems?" Ellis asks, raising an eyebrow. "You think that killing me is going to stop this battle? I'm not the criminal here, Brigadier. I took the ring from my father after his death. He died of a sudden disease and I took it from him because I knew what it can do. But now I have the ring, I can't take it off. It's stuck on me. You can chop my hand off for it if you want."

"That is not what we want." Aaron says, his voice returning to its low gruff.

"Then you want to kill the man who has been helping your son?"

There is a moment of silence as Aaron falters at the mention of Will.

Then Jack raises his hand. "He's cleared. Lower your weapon, Brigadier."

Aaron does what he is told and takes a couple of steps backwards. He allows the Doctor to remove the gun from his hands.

"Uhm, I guess we owe you an apology," the Doctor says, looking rather awkward, still occasionally glancing at Aaron. "Our mistake. We thought that your abilities would be a threat to us."

Ellis scoffs. "I've only ever used them for my own benefit. Like splitting myself in two to meet you and April at the exact same time but at different places. I guess it killed time." Ellis shrugs and then accepts the Doctor's offered hand to help him get off from the floor.

"We're sorry for that," Jack says darkly. "But we have to take precautions in times like this."

Ellis nods in acceptance. "I understand, and I forgive you. But remember that I am on your side. I may have not told the rest of the revolution this but I did promise Will that I would do everything I can to help April in those woods," he then looks at the Doctor. "I guess you have your plans."

The Doctor nods. "We'll meet you there."

Ellis pauses for a moment but then nods again, this time understanding his words.

"How's Will?"

"Alive," the Doctor responds before Aaron can. "But he's in good care. His physical recovery will be fine. But it's his mental recovery we are more concerned about."

There is another long silent pause.

"Well," Ellis says after a while. "Other than threatening me, what else brought you here?"

"While working with Heat Miles," the Doctor starts, looking at Ellis. "What do you know about Heat Miles' victims? Do you know what happened to them?"

Ellis shakes his head. "Unfortunately I know very little. All I know is that the furnace behind the base is used to burn the bodies. But where they store the bodies before they do that, I don't know."

"How often do they burn the bodies?" Aaron asks, a dark shadow flicking across his face.

"They try to burn a small amount once a week at least. They burn no more than five at a time so there won't be as much as a smell. I think they plan on burning the rest of the bodies when the race starts because the villagers will be distracted. But I am aware that more people on this Island have been killed by Heat Miles outside of that race. People who have tried to create revolutions before."

Jack, Aaron and the Doctor warily exchange glances. Neither of them knows what to say now.

"I hope what we think is not the truth." The Doctor says, looking at Jack. He takes in a deep breath and then holds on for several seconds.

Jack sighs. "So do I."

"What's this?" Ellis asks, looking from Jack, to the Doctor, to Aaron.

"I apologise in advance for having to break down your house, Mr Lustworve. But if what we fear is true, then you are going to be in a big shock." Jack says darkly.

Then without warning, the Doctor raises Aaron's gun and shoots at the wooden wall directly opposite them. The bullet from the gun pierces a rather large hole in the wall, blowing dust everywhere. But soon they are overcome with a horrible stench, making everyone gag every time they inhale. Then just through the hole in the wall, they can see a part of what looks like a clear plastic bag splattered with blood.

For a second Jack looks like he is going to be sick, but he pushes forward nevertheless. "Let's do this." He grumbles, trying his best not to inhale too much of the revolting fumes.

Jack then starts ripping away at the wall as if it is as thin as cardboard. The Doctor and Aaron do not hesitate to help as they strip down the walls, revealing the horrors that have been hidden beneath the walls. Ellis can do nothing but stand back in terror, watching the walls unfold in front of him.

The fumes become unbearable.

The wall has been stripped down to reveal dozens and dozens of human corpses. All of which are in vacuum-packed clear plastic body bags. Rope secures the bags together around the neck and the wrists of the corpses, and each bag is splattered with dried blood. However it is their faces that are more grotesque. The faces are rather undistinguishable, yet they press against the body bags, almost as if they are trying to escape.

The corpses hang like scarecrows against the wooded frames of inside the walls.

The Doctor, Aaron and Jack step away from the wall and study the horrific view in front of them. They choke on the fumes. Ellis remains standing away from them, staring at each individual corpse that has been hiding behind the walls.

"I suspect there are more." Jack says sullenly as he glances around at all the walls around them. He then looks at the Doctor pitifully who bends over and starts retching. "Get him out of here." Jack orders Aaron before covering his mouth to try and stop inhaling the fumes of the corpses. Aaron runs to the Doctor and holds him upright, but their attention is drawn to Amelia.

"Mummy?" Amelia calls timidly as she steps closer.

"Amelia, you shouldn't be seeing this!" Ellis panics as he pushes his daughter behind him. But then Amelia starts to scream uncontrollably.

"MUMMY!" She screams in utter terror. "WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU? MUMMY!"

Everyone looks from Amelia back to the corpses in the wall in utter bewilderment. But then the realisation hits Ellis like a blow to his stomach. His throat grows painfully dry as he stares at a female corpse hanging in the centre of the wall.

The Doctor watches Ellis carefully but speaks to Amelia. "You used to be able to hear your mother call for help."

Ellis stops right in front of the female corpse in the wall.

The body of his dead wife has been hidden in the walls of his house all this time.


	37. XXXVI - In the moments before

**XXXVI  
In the moments before**

_The Island  
__Jack Gruntler's residence  
__Three hours to go_

The villagers start to make their way towards the festival around midday, desperate to get a good spot to see off the start of the Day of Destruction. The Doctor sits on a wooden stool, peeking through the window blinds to watch the villagers pass them by. Rose sits by his side but she is watching him, not what is happening outside.

In all the travels she has had with the Doctor, she has never seen him look as pale, worn out and scared as he does right now. And Jack Gruntler certainly wasn't lying by saying that this battle will be the hardest battle they will have to face. But she says nothing for she knows that she too is scared. She is scared about April taking part in the Day of Destruction. She is scared about their plan to enter the woods unnoticed to fight in the battle. And above all, she is scared about what is going to happen once this battle is over.

The Doctor, Aaron and Jack returned back to Jack's residence after pulling apart Ellis' house earlier today.

"I've never seen anything quite like it." The Doctor said when the came back, describing to everyone about the horrors that have been hiding in the walls to Ellis' house. They know that as soon as the Day of Destruction starts, those corpses will be burned at the furnace. However something has changed in Ellis after he saw the corpse of his wife. He has spent these past five years believing that her body was buried in the hidden cemetery west of the Island. But she has actually been stored away in a plastic body bag beneath the walls amongst dozens of other victims in his own home. Now Ellis seems more desperate to start the Day of Destruction than he ever was before.

What they saw was evidently distressing to the Doctor, Aaron and Jack as neither of them wanted to talk about it afterwards. So now they sit around Jack Gruntler's house in silence. The Doctor and Rose remain sitting by the window. Aaron, Jack, Terry, Joseph, Max, Declan, Rex, Ireen, Sarah-Jane and April stand around the living room in silence.

The clock on the mantelpiece ticks loudly despite its cracked face.

Rose studies the Doctor for a while before speaking in a soft, quiet voice so that only he can hear.

"What are we going to when this is all over?"

"It's best if we just think about the now rather than tomorrow." The Doctor replies, still peering through the blinds.

"You must have some sort of hope."

The Doctor hesitates for a moment before looking at Rose. "I just hope that we all come out of this alive."

Rose looks at the Doctor for a while before looking away, just thinking. "What are we going to do about April? I mean what happens then? Is she going to stay with us? What will UNIT do?"

The Doctor shakes his head. "I honestly don't know." He snaps unintentionally. The thought of what they are going to do after this battle is too much to think about right now. It is also something Jack has warned him to remove from his mind. He must not make any plans of what they are going to do after. They just have to focus their minds on the task at hand. As Jack says, having the Cytracik destroyed is their main priority.

The Doctor reaches forward and takes Rose's hand in his. No other words pass between them as they hold hands.

The silence in the house continues for a little while longer, but is then broken as Aaron's mobile phone rings. Everyone turns their attention to Aaron who desperately pulls out his phone from his pocket and answers the call. They all know that Martha would call once she has helped Will as much as she can.

"How is he?" Aaron asks the moment he puts the phone to his ear. Then he says nothing more as he listens to Martha on the other end of the line. His face unreadable. After a minute or so, he lowers his phone and switches it off. He inhales a shaky breath and then places his hand on the wall for support. "Will is fine. Martha has managed to save his life thanks to Declan's own treatments," Aaron turns to Declan. "It's bloody lucky we took you here with us."

"It's a miracle those treatments have worked against Monroe's torture." Declan replies stiffly.

Aaron nods. "Martha is on her way over now. She says that Will will need to sleep for a while."

"What about the revolution?" The Doctor asks.

"I think that his recovery is what he needs to focus on."

The front door bangs open and Martha walks in quicker than anyone expected. She holds a very weak Will by her side, draping his arm over her shoulders.

"Help," Martha cries. "We need to get him to a bed to rest ASAP."

Soon everyone rushes to Will's aid. But no one gets there quicker than Aaron does. Tears spill down his face as he rushes to his son's side. Will manages to look up at his father and smirks weakly.

"Guess I never learn, do I?" Will croaks, still looking at his father.

"No you bloody don't!" Aaron says, exasperated and not sure whether to laugh or cry. Aaron then throws one of Will's arms over his shoulders and Declan holds his other. The two help carry him towards the stairs.

"Someone get him some water," Martha orders and Sarah-Jane sees to it immediately. "He'll be back to normal as soon as he wakes up," she then lowers her voice. "I should hope."

Everyone does their best to make the journey across the living room and up the stairs as easy for Will so that no more pain will be inflicted on him. Then once they start climbing the wooden stairs, Aaron insists that they will be fine from here on. Everyone falls back and lets Aaron to help his son to rest.

April, however, is desperate to make sure that Will is okay. So she follows. She only manages to climb the first two stairs before Aaron shouts down at her, not even looking back.

"Stay back!"

"Let me see him!" April cries, feeling someone come up beside her.

"Just let me do this alone, April! I am his father!"

"And I'm..." but April stops short.

"You are what exactly?" Aaron snaps who has now stopped climbing up the stairs to look at her. "The Ice Girl. Yes we know. But your faults have brought Alic to his fate. My soldier is now paralysed. And don't forget that you have taken the full blame of my Captain's death. So don't get angry at me if I want to spend some time alone with my son without you making matters worse."

The silence fills the house as Aaron and April stare at each other. April can almost feel Aaron's pain, but she knows that everything that he has just said rings the truth.

"April." Max whispers as he reaches out for his sister.

April clears her throat and turns away from the stairs. She is aware of everyone's eyes on her and right now, she wishes that they would stop staring. In moments like this, she would wish for someone to hold her. She would wish for her mother or her father to be there by her side. She would wish for Ireen to make her a cup of tea. She would wish to sit in the Tardis with the Doctor, Rose and Terry, dancing away to some Mozart. But right now she can just about make do with Max standing by her side. For now, separating herself from everyone else seems like the best option to make what she wants to do easier. And possibly make it easier for everyone else. April scowls down at the floor, not wanting to look at anyone. Especially Rose or Ireen who she knows will both have a rather sorrowful or at the very least, sympathetic look on their faces.

The silence only lasts up until Aaron has helped Will all the way up the stairs and into the spare bedroom.

"It's best that we should make a move." Jack says darkly and April is thankful that everyone's attention has been diverted away from her.

"I agree." The Doctor says as he stands up, turning his back to the window.

Everyone in the room starts shuffling about, gathering their belongings, putting on coats and getting ready to leave. April, completely clueless as to what is happening, watches her brother as he walks across the room and picks up a handheld gun from the glass coffee table, before putting it in his pocket. Everyone looks busy, whereas Jack stands there by the front door, waiting for them patiently.

April takes a step forward and goes to say something but someone lays a firm hand on her shoulder, stopping her. April looks up to find her grandfather standing there, looking down his nose at her. He is still the same man as he was back in the parallel Scotland and 1775 Manchester. But the news of him being her grandfather has changed everything.

"You are doing your bit for this battle," Joseph says softly, understanding exactly what is flying through April's mind. "Let us do ours."

"Where are you going?" April asks, directing the question over to the Doctor.

But Jack answers. "You should focus on the Day of Destruction, April." Jack's voice is harsh as if he is cutting the thin invisible line that connects her to the ones she loves.

April then helplessly looks up at her grandfather as everyone else continues to pack their things. "Trust us," Joseph's hand lowers from her shoulder and he holds her hand before squeezing it, his eyes full of tears. "We're here for you. Always. No matter what you choose to do," His voice is quiet and soft so that only she can hear him. "Please don't ever lose hope. Each and every one of us are doing this for you because we love you. We are doing this more for you than the Cytracik. If there's anything that's going to keep you going in those woods, just think of that. Please."

April stares at her grandfather, momentarily speechless. "You know what I'm choosing to do?"

"Of course I do." Joseph nods.

April glances over to the Doctor.

"No one else knows," Joseph says quietly, knowing what she is thinking. "Even Max doesn't know your plan." He squeezes her hand one more time before leaning in and kissing her cheek.

Then Aaron comes running down the stairs. "Will is asleep. I told him that I'm going to update Alic before we do anything. Alic knows what he can do from the hospital to help us. My son will join us as soon as he recovers."

"He'll be fine in time for the Day of Destruction." Martha says, her voice flat and somewhat emotionless.

"Then you should better get going." Jack says darkly before opening the doors.

April can feel everyone hesitate for a moment. But Martha is the first to leave, followed by Declan. Slowly everyone files out of the house until there is only the Doctor, Terry, Rose and Jack left. All of them looking at April as if they do not want to leave her side just yet.

"We'll see you in a couple of hours," Rose says, trying to keep her voice bright. "We promise."

April nods and then they leave. April and Jack are alone together. Will snores peacefully upstairs.

"Don't let Max die." April asks quietly.

"I can't promise anything." Jack replies indifferently.

"I know you can't but you can at least help! If there's anything you can do in that battle and whatever plan you are following, you can at least help Max. Don't let him try to sacrifice himself or anything."

"Max isn't going to sacrifice himself. Not unless you hand him a gun and tell him to while you do the same," Jack switches hands on his walking cane and April can almost hear his joints creaking. "Max does not know what you plan to do in the woods. He wasn't there during your years apart so he does not understand your mind as much as he would like."

"Do you think it's a good idea?" April asks. "What I'm going to do in the woods?"

Jack is silent for a moment as he gives her a knowing look. "I think that sacrifice of the Ice Girl in the place the Cytracik was supposed to kill her will create the perfect paradox. And it will let your brother live a long life," he then takes in a sharp breath. "Remember what I told you. The Doctor will die if you don't. I'll keep your brother alive and you'll keep the Doctor alive."

"I know. I promised that I would save his life as much as he saved mine."

Jack nods. "Heroic," he snarls. "But the Doctor saved your life the second he showed you what Bruce Fey was," he then pauses for a long moment. "Good luck."

April watches Jack turn and leave the house, closing the door behind him. April is left alone standing in the living room. She stares blankly ahead, the ticking sound reverberating through her ears. She stands there and yet she does not move. It is as if her feet are rooted to the ground as her mind buzzes with thoughts. Voices of the people she loves rings through her mind as she just thinks.

And then there is nothing. April stands there looking lifelessly ahead, feeling more numb than she has ever felt before. She does not know how much time has past since the others have left. But it has been enough time for April to see the autumnal sky outside darkening to welcome the afternoon. It probably isn't too far away from the start of the Day of Destruction.

Then April forces herself to move. Somewhat like a zombie, she moves away from the living room and up the stairs. She hesitates for a brief second as she stands outside of the spare bedroom. She slowly pushes the door open. Will is awake and out of bed.

Seeing Will half naked and halfway through getting changed back into his UNIT battle uniform, April can't help but to turn her back.

"I'm sorry." April says, coy and ready to walk away. But Will does not reply. Instead he takes hold of her arm and drags her into the bedroom. April catches glimpses of Will's naked body. Obviously it is not the first time she has seen it, but for some reason she feels like looking at him now is invading his privacy.

"How do you feel?" April asks in a dull voice as she crosses her arms across her chest.

Will looks up at her as he slides into his jeans. "I'm fine." He insists.

"I saw it happen," April continues. "I was Monroe. I was attacking you."

Will sighs as he shakes his head, feeding his weapon belt through his trouser loop holes. "It happened, April. Rodger Barratt ordered Monroe to torture me. Thinking that I would give in and tell them everything I know. Fortunately I'm stronger than that," he then throws a white tank vest over his head. "April," he breathes out heavily. "Why are you doing this?"

April doesn't respond.

"Why are you taking part in the race?" Will pushes on.

"I wanted to save Joshua's life. He's eighteen years old for Christ's sake! He deserves to live!"

"And Joshua joined the revolution for no one else's means but his own. You can't save everyone. Remember you were only eighteen when you fought the Slitheen in Wales. Joshua can handle himself."

"Yeah well what happens if I also chose to be a part of this for myself?" She lies. "Have you not thought that I am doing this because it is part of my nightmare?"

Will snorts. "I know you well enough to know when you are full of bullshit," Will stops changing to look at April. "I know one hundred percent that you are doing this because you want to save everyone. You want to save the Doctor, Rose, Terry. You want to save what little you have left of your family. You want to save the remains of UNIT. You want to save me. You want to save Ellis and Amelia Lustworve. You want to save everyone but yourself," Will steps closer to April. "Just let us save you too."

"I'm fine." April tires to insist, stepping away from Will. She reminds herself to keep a distance.

Will's face darkens. "Please don't do this. Please don't go into those woods."

April shakes her head. "It's too late now."

"You have the Tardis! You know how to fly the bloody thing!" Will snaps. "You can go back in time to stop yourself from volunteering."

"The Tardis would not be able to go back in time while we're here. Did you not think that if it could, we would have rewritten the whole history of this battle by now? That we would have gone to the time when the shape shifters and Heat Miles first came here to stop them? Or back to when the Cytracik was first created? The Doctor tried that and failed because this has to happen. The Cytracik is so powerful we cannot rewrite it's history. The time for the battle is fixed. Once the Cytracik was created, there was no way we could go back to stop it from happening. The Tardis only had enough power to let Jason and I go back five days to try and right what was happening on this Island. And I took that opportunity to be a part of the Day of Destruction."

"It's a suicide mission, April!"

This comment winds April slightly but she steps away from Will. "And I'm not letting you stop me. I have to do this."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do!"

"No you _want_ to, April! There is a huge difference! I didn't have to fuck Morgarn multiple times after you left my world but I wanted to so I did."

"What?"

"Yeah, that's right, April. I fucked Morgarn in the times when I felt hopeless about getting you back. I don't want to lose you again."

"So you are just the man I originally thought you were." April growls, trying her best to look angry, although she knows that her words are not truthful and they hurt to say. It hurts her to see the look on Will's face. She has to push him away and with the topic he just brought up, she knows that this is the only way.

"I have sex with someone I once had an affair with and you automatically take me as the bad guy. A sleaze. Arrogant. Fucking hell I am human!"

"And is it inhumane for me to want to save everyone?" April snaps.

"No, but it's fucking stupid when you won't accept our help!" Will shakes his head. "Please don't ever leave me, April. Please don't do this!"

"You can't change my mind, Will."

"The second you are in those woods you won't stand a chance of surviving. Heat Miles will have you killed on the spot. They will want your prophecy to be fulfilled."

"Then let it happen."

"Why are you being so difficult, April?"

"And why won't you leave me alone?" April takes a few steps back, inwardly telling herself to not show her true emotions. "You told me that if I tell you to go away, then you would. Am I right?"

"April...don't do this."

"Go away, Will. I don't want you here right now."

Will is now sobbing and it breaks April's heart to see him like this. "April. I just want you..."

"GO AWAY!" April screams.

Will's bottom lips trembles violently but he pulls out a small keyring from his pocket. He presses down on the keyring with his thumb. There is a click and then Will vanishes from sight, leaving April completely alone.

April stares at the spot where Will was seconds ago. A sound escapes her lips, almost like a whimper. But it is also April calling for him back. She hates herself even more so for purposefully hurting Will, but she knows that for the moment it is the best. If she can distance herself from those she loves, killing herself will be easier. Just like it was when she was fourteen.

April clutches her chest, her heartache too painful. And in these moments, she lets all of her memories that have recently been plaguing her just fully engulf her. All the times she felt remorse and fear: being attacked by Bruce; meeting the Daleks; her parallel mother dying in her arms; the number of UNIT soldiers who were killed in that battle; being torn as she awaits for UNIT to come back to her; the coldness of Antarctica; hearing of Will's murderous past; the death of Private Jefferson; Colonel Meath pushing her way from UNIT; the Doctor and Aaron betraying her; Aaron being caught in an explosion and losing his leg; being taken away from that parallel world; losing the will to live; seeing a vision of the Doctor's and Terry's death; Rose sacrificing herself to kill the Devil; the fate of the Lustworves; Alic's paralysis; Monroe shooting Jason through the heart; the look on Martha's face as she delivered the news; the Doctor and Aaron acting like they hate her; everything the Cytracik has done since its existence; and the look on Will's face as she ordered him to go away.

How many more times does she have to go through this torment?

Immediately these thoughts are interrupted as two shape shifter's materialise in front of her.

For a few seconds, April continues to stare blankly ahead at the gap between the two shape shifters. She gives herself a few seconds to pull herself together. She bites back any last remaining tears, trying to shut off any emotion. Once she feels strong and ready, she stands up straighter and stares at the two shape shifters. Their grotesque, black heads are covered by their blue fencing helmets. She has seen the body of the shape shifters in their natural form so often that they no longer scare her.

"Take me there." April says spitefully, spitting out her words.

The shape shifters do not say anything and she doesn't expect them too. But she does not expect one of them to hold out it's white gloved hand. Resting in its hand is a round wooden ball, about the size as an apple. April does not falter before she takes the wooden ball. She rolls the ball around between her fingers and finds the number five carved upon its surface.

Five is her voluntary number. She remembers putting her name down as the fifth volunteer on the list.

However, as April holds the wooden ball in the palm of her hand, looking down at the number five, there is a suddenly prick in her palm, as if a needle is stabbing in her skin. April gasps as the slight pain and almost drops the ball. Just as she catches it again before it hits the floor, she notices a small trickle of blood running down her hand. She then sees a faded blue light flashing in her palm underneath her skin. April can easily guess that it is some sort of tracking device so Heat Miles can know her every whereabouts in the woods.

April stares at the two shape shifters who stand there gormless. "I guess you have to keep your tabs." She mutters more to herself.

But as she says this, the two shape shifters start to approach her and stand on either side of her. Then they take one arm each and April allows herself to be dragged out of Jack Gruntler's residence by the two shape shifters.

They awkwardly walk down the wooden steps together, April feeling crushed between their two bodies. But she is soon marched out of the house and into the street. Is she going to have to walk across the whole Island like this?

They walk away from the house, leaving the front door wide open. April keeps her eyes on the ground as they walk down the street towards the fields that eventually lead to where the woods and the festival is. Yet the streets are clear of people. They must all be at the festival awaiting the best thing that is supposed to happen on this Island.

Back in her world, on this exact date, everyone will be dressing up as ghosts, clowns, cats or witches covered in fake blood and wearing fake teeth. Parents would be taking their children around the neighbourhood to do some trick-or-treating. Some would be getting drunk and hitting the clubs. Or some will be staying indoors and watching horror films to celebrate Halloween. There would be pumpkins and fake cobwebs everywhere and somewhere, Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' would be playing. But here on this Island, everyone gathers around the woods to watch ten volunteers race into the woods for some bid for fame – not caring that people are planned to die in the woods on purpose. And in this year particular, the villagers on this Island are completely oblivious to the fact that in those woods are hundreds, if not thousands of different species desperately searching for the Cytracik. They do not know that Heat Miles will be burning all the left over corpses from past Day of Destructions the moment the race begins. They do not know that the ten volunteers are actually part of a revolution to bring down Heat Miles and destroy the Cytracik. They do not know that the Ice Girl wants to kill their Major.

As they walk on, April feels herself becoming angrier and angrier with each step. She has no plan as to what she is going to do the moment the race begins. She was making plans with Jason, but nothing was really set in stone.

For the next few moments, April tries to think of ways she can get to the Cytracik first. How she can make sure that everyone else is safe before she does what she is going to do. And she will not do that until Rodger Barratt is dead.

April's plans are suddenly interrupted as she thinks about the Doctor. The others clearly had a plan. Then for a brief moment, April is suddenly overcome with fear that they are going to try and get into the woods.

But once again, April's thoughts are interrupted. This time by the two shape shifters who have now stopped marching. Being held in the middle of them, she is also forced to stop. April glances around at where they are. They are currently standing in the middle of a horse field. The view of the woods are in the near distance in front of them. But why have they stopped here?

"Wait!"

The voice is easily recognisable to April for she has heard it many times before. Especially when he is running and desperate. The voice and the running footfalls come from behind but April does not look back for she can tell that it is only Aaron. Instead she stares at the woods ahead. The dark grey clouds loom over them. It looks like it might rain.

Eventually Aaron is in front of them, looking from one shape shifter to the other.

"There's still over an hour before the start of the Day of Destruction. Just let me talk to April for a second. Please." Aaron's voice is still desperate.

April stares at him, scowling harshly. "They won't let me go." April hisses through gritted teeth.

However, to both of their surprise, the two shape shifters release April and shove her forward firmly. April stumbles over her feet as she is shoved and knocks into Aaron's shoulder. He catches her, holding her firmly. They both look up at the shape shifters. One of them slowly lifts two fingers.

They have two minutes to chat.

Without further ado, Aaron takes hold of April's elbow, just where the shape shifters were holding her, and drags her away from them.

"What are you doing?" April snaps as she and Aaron quickly walk out of earshot of the shape shifters.

"We need a long overdue chat." Aaron says quietly, glancing over his shoulder. The two shape shifters are not watching them like he thought they would be. In fact they are now facing each other as if they are engaging in a conversation between themselves. Aaron eventually stops when there is enough distance between them. He turns to look at April, holding onto both her arms. He then lets go.

"How are you?" Aaron asks softly.

"I'm fine." April insists.

"Don't lie."

"Well what do you expect?"

"I'm sorry," Aaron says quickly. "For what I said earlier. I didn't mean it but I knew that it would be enough to get you to leave us alone."

April folds her arms. "I get your technique."

"Just like yours. You broke my son's heart. Again. Told him to go away like you told the Doctor to clear off," For a while Aaron studies April's face which is full of guilt. "And you didn't mean a word you said."

April shakes her head, blinking back the tears that have started to resurface.

Aaron sighs before taking one more glance over to the shape shifters and then back at April. He can feel the occasional fleck on rain fall on his head. "Look, we don't have much time so I'm going to keep this brief. Roger Barratt is being crowned King this very second."

"What?!" April splutters angrily.

"I know, but just hear me out. He's crowning himself King and therefore Lucien is becoming Major. He thinks that this is another way for the shape shifter race to get hold of the Cytracik. We fear it may work but no one knows. You need to know what you are up against."

"I'm sure it can't be worse than a version of myself and Max as a Dalek."

Aaron pauses for a moment. "Please don't go through with this race."

"I have no choice!" April snaps, waving the wooden ball in his face. "I have to do this!"

"April, the Day of Destruction has nothing to do with you! For today it is just a means to cover up the appearance of the aliens. Heat Miles only created the Day of Destruction for the Battle of the Cytracik. Not for you. So that when the universe turns up, it will be so convincing to the rest of the Island that they will not know what it actually happening in the woods. April, you know this!"

"And why do you think I am doing this? Do you think I ever had a choice in the matter the moment my father had the power over the Cytracik in the first place?"

"April, this is not about when it first started! This is about us destroying the Cytracik and bringing Heat Miles down! If we can't get them on our side then they will have to go too," Aaron then grabs hold of April's wrist – the one holding onto the wooden ball, and lifts it so that the ball is in her face. "Just think about this for a second, April. Please. You're separating yourselves from us, but in truth, you need as much help as you can get. We have a plan to help in this battle. We're not going to sit back and watch you do this alone. We know what we are going to do the moment that race begins. Please just help us out here, April!" Aaron shakes her wrist. "You must know a way to stop this."

April stares at Aaron in the eye. Both of them glaring into each others eyes. Aaron eventually releases his grip on her wrist. As he does so, April looks down at the wooden ball in her hand. The carved number five facing her like some forceful reminder. April then lowers her hand limply to her side. She then looks over towards the two shape shifters who still look as if they are deep in a conversation.

Jack's bitter words run through her mind:_ The Doctor will die if you don't._

She has to tell Aaron what it is she is going to do. Someone has to know. Someone other than Jack. And right now, April feels safe trusting Aaron. April looks over at Aaron with her eyes, seeing the pure look of angst across his face.

April takes in a deep, shaky breath to say something but then stops. She tries again.

"What if...I..._kill _myself." April says carefully.

Immediately a dark shadow flickers across Aaron's face. "No, April, no!"

"No just listen because it makes sense!" April says quickly, grabbing onto Aaron's arms that are moving towards her.

"April, you can't do this!" Aaron's voice quivers in fright as he grabs hold of her. One hand protectively on her waist and the other on her shoulder. This is a side of Aaron no one ever sees. The weakness in him. The part of him that is afraid and not often as strong as he always makes himself out to be. The side that has suffered and still is suffering. This is the Aaron she saw over two years ago for her – four for him – when she found him alone, screaming and scratching at his arms after having to relive his terror in the other dimension.

April is suddenly overcome with affection towards this man. The man who has brought Will into this life. The man who accepts her as who she is and wants her to be a part of UNIT. A part of his family. She can accept him for shutting her off when they were reunited. But that does not matter any more. What touches her most is how her death means something to Brigadier Aaron Brimikawood.

"I know it sounds crazy but it is the only way. The truth is I'm going to die in this battle no matter what."

"But we're helping you. We're here to save you!" Aaron cries.

April shushes him, placing a hand on his cheek. "But if I don't die then the Doctor will. Then you will, and everyone else. I can't live with that. If I don't kill myself the Cytracik will win and kill Max and I itself."

"Please don't kill yourself." Aaron's voice is a whisper as he tightens his grip on her.

"Listen, if I let the Daleks kill me and Max, then our prophecy will be fulfilled and there will be no way anyone can destroy the Cytracik. It'll immediately latch itself onto Amelia and kill her before going onto the next victim. But if I kill myself before anything else does, ruling out my prophecy, it'll create a paradox. It's the only way the Cytracik can be destroyed. You have to destroy the one thing it wants to before it does. I've got to save the Doctor."

Aaron shakes his head and closes his eyes tightly. He knows that she is right.

"I wish it weren't the case." Aaron mutters.

April looks at him for a moment and says nothing. She has nothing to say about that comment for she had spent years wishing for her own death.

"Like I said," April eventually says, breaking away from Aaron. "I have no choice."

Aaron sighs. "Are you doing it in the woods?"

April hesitates. She hasn't really given any thought into how she is going to do it. "As long as the King is dead before, then yes."

Aaron and April stare at each other for a little while longer. The wind starts to blow a little harder and a single raindrop lands on the end of Aaron's nose.

"Can you promise me one thing?" April asks.

"For sure."

"Can you promise me not to tell the Doctor about this plan? Or anyone else for that matter."

Aaron shakes his head. "I can't do that, April."

"Aaron, please!" April pleads, reaching towards him, but then suddenly the two shape shifters are by her side again and dragging her back towards the direction in which they were going before.

"No!" Aaron shouts running after them. "I'm not ready to say goodbye!"

One of the shape shifters waves their gloved hand and a force hits Aaron with such power that he flies backwards and hits the ground. However, as if the force made no impact to Aaron, he immediately scrambles back onto his feet, mainly resting on his prosthetic leg.

"April!" He shouts after her. "You don't have to do this!"

But it is no use. Aaron knows that he will have to keep April's promise as he stands there and watches the shape shifters take her away.


	38. XXXVII - The Day of Destruction

**XXXVII  
The Day of Destruction**

_The Island  
__Outside the woods_

The field in which the festival was looks larger now that all the stalls have been taken down. But the field is surrounded by every single villager on this Island. Yet the worst part of the whole situation is seeing the excited and happy looks on everyone's faces as they await the start of the Day of Destruction. There is excitement in everyone's voices as they talk amongst each other.

The walk through the energetic crowd isn't half as difficult as April expected. Everyone's attention is drawn to her but they all move out the way, creating a path for the shape shifters to guide April through.

April can tell that there is a little less excitement around the crowd as they all see April: the girl that no one really knows. She can hear whispers amongst different people but she just keeps her eyes ahead at the trees.

Right at the other end of the festival the wooden fence that separates the festival from the woods has been taken down. There is an open gap to allow the volunteers to run in.

April can feel the shape shifter's tighten their grip on her as they step out into the opening. And there they all are. All of the nine other volunteers: Ellis, Zane, Orion, Buddy, Kace, Kathyrn, Billie, Blake and Joshua. They stand in a line, each on a black number that has been spray painted on the grass.

The shape shifters take April to the gap just between Buddy and Kace, both of which are wearing full black clothes. There is a black number five spray painted on the grass. The shape shifters release her the moment she is standing on the number.

When they leave her side, April takes in a quick glance at her surroundings. Each volunteer is completely dressed in black. They wear black trousers and long-sleeved black tops. Yet there is a bright red line tracing down the arms of the tops and their trouser legs. It is the exact same shade of red as the t-shirt Aprils is wearing. She cannot help but feel like she is standing out against the volunteers in her red t-shirt and black jeans. Just this little factor will cause some riot with Heat Miles.

April then looks at the woods directly ahead of her. It is near on impossible to see anything through the trees as it is all overcome with darkness. April looks to her left and there she finds three people she is not expecting to see amongst the crowd: the Doctor, Max and Martha. All three of them watching her. Martha's face is rather passive. Max manages to smile weakly at her as if to give her some encouragement. But the Doctor looks terrified out of his wits.

But where is everyone else? Aaron said that they all had plans to take part in the battle. So why is the Doctor, Max and Martha there to see her off into the race? April stares at them and raises her eyebrows as if asking them. But when neither of them make any movement or recognition as to whether or not they know what she is thinking, April reaches for her belt. There she feels the weapons she managed to grab before the shape shifters arrived to pick her up. And she hopes that she has enough to help her. April then turns to look back at the rest of the revolution. And that is when she catches Ellis' eye. And he shakes his head at her. April can only guess that Ellis is warning her not to give too much away before they even get into the woods.

April sighs and then focuses all of her attention to the woods in front of them.

Silence soon fills the area around them. Everyone's voices hushes to the point that all anyone can hear is the blowing wind. April clenches her fists and leans forward on her right leg a little, ready to run as soon as they start.

During this silence a plan suddenly springs to April's mind. She wants to save the revolution from being killed – despite their best efforts to also want to fight in this battle. But no one else is going to die while she is alive. The woods are full of different species across the universe fighting for the Cytracik. If she can draw enough attention to herself, she might be able to save the rest of the revolution.

And then something happens that April has not been expecting at all. She is on the verge of running forward into the woods, but far behind her is the sound of a marching band playing an eerily happy tune. It is a marching band made up of all brass instruments: horns, trumpets, trombones, euphoniums and tubas of the like.

For a second April is utterly dumbfounded. Is she hearing this correctly?

April slowly turns to look over her shoulder. Nope. She is definitely hearing correctly. There is a marching band coming her way. They are all dressed remotely similar to the guards that keep guard of Buckingham Palace.

Of all the things April has witnessed in her life, she cannot believe what she is seeing right now. Why is there a marching band walking through the crowd and playing a happy-go-lucky piece of music, right before the battle is going to begin?

This angers April as she watches the musicians march into the opening of the festival. They cover the view of the woods, standing directly in front of the ten volunteers, blaring their instruments directly at them. April glances back towards Ellis' rather amused facial expression. She shrugs her shoulders as if asking why.

Ellis, however, chuckles and mouths the words: _it's a celebration._

April suddenly feels deflated at the reminder that this is a celebration for the Island. She crosses her arms across her chest and glares at the marching band standing before her. The trombonist stands directly in front of her and April hates every second of the music.

They play music for a little while longer and it seems to stretch out further and further. After a minute or so, the band start to repeat the motif that introduced the music. Here, April knows that they must be nearing the end of their playing. However, she still glares at the trombonist in front of her.

April lets out a sigh and glances back in the direction to where the Doctor is standing amongst the crowd. Rex has joined them and is whispering something to the Doctor, Martha and Max. And then simultaneously, they turn their attention to something in the distance behind April. Their faces dawn fear, realisation and anger. The Doctor then turns to Martha, says something to her. She nods and then follows Rex who disappears through the crowd. The Doctor and Max then stand there, saying something to each other while subtly pointing to something behind April.

Everyone else around them seem utterly distracted by the marching band and the forcefully cheerful music.

April then turns around to look at what Rex was informing the others on. And just from the expression on their faces, April knows that what she is about to see isn't good news. She looks over her shoulder and at first she scans the crowd in the festival. All of them with a glazed expression as they smile gleefully at the marching band.

But there is thick, dark smoke in the sky above them.

And then April is suddenly chocked by the horrific fumes that burns in the air around them.

April can see the smoke rising from the hills of Ebernie in the distance. The putrid smell of burning corpses fills the air but everyone else seems utterly oblivious to it. Everyone except the ten volunteers.

The marching band is only being used as a means of distraction while Heat Miles begins the process of burning the bodies of the last Day of Destruction victims. It is as if the villagers are trapped under a spell from the music.

April glances over to Ellis who looks unhealthily pale. However he only glares down at the grass beneath his feet. She can just about see his jaw grinding. The body of his dead wife will be burning in the furnace right now. April then glances back to where the Doctor is but both him and Max have now disappeared amongst the crowd.

"No!" April gasps as she steps off her spray painted number.

This is a cruel trick. Heat Miles cannot get away with doing something as inhumane as this. April starts to walk across the opening, heading in the direction of the smoke. She wants to snap the villagers out of their trance and let them see what Heat Miles are doing. The villagers have the right to know the truth.

However, April only gets so far away from her spray painted number before something grabs onto her and hauls her to the ground. April falls onto the damp grass with a thump. But before she has the chance to even get back on her feet, a shape shifter grabs onto her hair at the back of her head and forces her to look up. April finds herself looking into the blue fencing helmet of the shape shifter for a second before the shape shifter hits her across her face with its white gloved hand.

April can taste blood in her mouth, but she manages to calm her anger as the shape shifter hauls her up to her feet and drags her back to her spray painted number. April has no choice but to do as she is supposed to. She spits out blood before trying to regain herself.

The music has stopped and the countdown has already started.

The countdown started thirty seconds ago and there are only another ten seconds to go.

Another ten seconds until the start of the Day of Destruction. Another ten seconds until the Black Lighthouse flashes for the fifth time and the Cytracik can fulfil her prophecy by letting the Daleks kill her.

April is not ready. She finds herself shaking from the blow of the shape shifter and her face aches dully. She looks at Ellis who is still shaking his head at her.

But then there is bell ringing.

And the race has begun.


	39. XXXVIII - Quick decisions

**XXXVIII  
Quick decisions**

_The Island  
__The Woods  
__The start of the Day of Destruction_

April has missed the start of the race. The sound of the dong startles her and the rest of the volunteers are already running into the woods. She has hesitated for too long, but something stops her. She falters as she watches the other nine volunteers run into the woods; running into battle.

She catches glimpses of the villagers expectantly watching her and very quickly, reality hits her, almost like a smack in the face. What is she doing? Why is she falling back? Why is she not running into battle as well? All previous plans she was trying to conjure before the marching band interrupted her thoughts, have now leaked from her mind. And April does not have the faintest clue as to what she is going to do now.

So she runs.

Within seconds, she can feel herself running through some kind of invisible barrier just as she passes through the first few trees of the woods. And as soon as she is in the woods, everything suddenly seems darker than it was seconds ago. The life outside the woods is no longer there.

April is entirely alone. It is the Day of Destruction. And the whole universe is hiding in these woods, desperate for one thing.

April keeps running, weaving in and out around different trees and leaping over large roots that are there to trip her. The woods this time around seem so different to how she saw it with Jason. Everything seems darker and the ground beneath her seems different. It does not quite feel like ground beneath her. More like sprung floorboards camouflaged to look like dirt, grass and leaves.

When she knows that she has been running for long enough that there are no dangers nearby, April eventually stops to rest up against a large tree. She leans her full body against the trunk of a tree and she tries to catch her breath, breathing in and out deeply and heavily. She closes her eyes, shutting out the view of the gloomy woods around her, fully aware of how dry her throat is. The desperation for a drink slowly starts to sink in.

And then she hears it. A voice she thought she would never hear again. The male's voice which is steady but firm, with a hint of playfulness to it.

_Keep your eyes on the game, buttercup._

April's eyes flickers open and she scans the trees around her, hoping to find where the familiar, friendly voice is coming from. But as April moves away from the tree she looks in every direction, trying to find a figure or a silhouette of a human. April knows that she is being too hopeful, but the voice was so close to her...almost too close, like it was inside her head.

April then stops looking for any sign of Jason being there with her. She only imagined Jason's voice. She lets out a shaky breath as she reminds herself that he is dead. And she is here alone.

Just at the sound of a twig snapping, April is instantly brought back to the present.

Slowly reaching for her belt, April grabs onto her gun, praying that she has enough ammo to attack whatever is around the corner. And she hopes that it is Rodger Barratt because she will not think twice before killing him. She scans the woods. The mist in the air makes it rather difficult to see much in the distance. And yet April cannot shake the feeling that she is being watched.

Then there are whispers amongst the trees. Inhumane whispers that are not audible, and April is certain that some alien species is approaching her. Yet she cannot see anything through the gloomy mist. April strains her ears to see if she can understand the whispers. Usually the Tardis can translate different languages to help them understand. But right now, April cannot understand these whispers.

April keeps her grip on her gun firmly as she stays rooted to the spot. She will not move until these aliens show any threat. For all she knows they might not be able to see her like she can't see them.

But then through the mist, somewhere between the trees, April sees a flicker of movement in the shadows. April can't help but draw in a sharp breath. As she does so, she takes a step backwards but unintentionally stumbles over a root she swears was not there seconds ago.

And then all falls silent.

April holds onto her breath. But there is no sound. Not even a flutter in the breeze. The shadows around her in the trees move and April can see a few dozen silhouettes amongst the trees. The aliens have a human form, but their heads are rather triangular shaped with, what looks like, three spears erupting from the top of their heads.

Eventually one slowly steps out of the trees and looks at April. The creature looks like it is wearing a murky green morph suit. It's head is concealed with a helmet and the three spears erupting from the top are in fact weapons. There are two black triangles April can only guess is its eyes.

April holds out her hand as the alien surveys her.

"I'm not going to hurt you if you mean no harm." April says carefully.

The alien slowly tilts its head to the side but says nothing.

"What are you?" April then asks firmly.

"We are the Zoracha," the alien replies sternly, its voice sounding like it is bubbling under water. "We are here for the Cytracik."

April inwardly groans. "Of course you are." She mutters to herself.

"What are you?" The Zoracha asks.

"A human being." April replies rather spitefully, suddenly remembering when Ellis asked her this question the first time they met. She swears in all her travels with the Doctor, she has never been asked this question before.

"And what is your purpose here, human being?"

April's grip on her gun tightens. "I'm here to stop you from getting to the Cytracik."

Immediately weapons are drawn and aimed at April. Including the Zoracha standing a few feet away from her. It holds up what she supposes is a gun. But then April very quickly realises that she is completely surrounded for there are many Zoracha's hiding in the circle of trees around her, aiming their weapons at her.

April, however, remains rooted to the spot.

"I said I will not hurt you if you mean no harm." April repeats.

"You mean harm to us! We will behold the Cytracik. We know of it's power."

"You know nothing of it!" April snaps, suddenly angry. "Your wish for power is just as inhumane as the Cytracik is. You don't even know what it can do!"

"It will give us the power to complete our duties!" The Zoracha in front of April shouts.

"And what is your duty?"

The Zoracha hesitates for a second as if contemplating its answer. "To get our revenge on the shape shifters."

April narrows her eyes. "Go on." She encourages the Zoracha to explain itself.

"When word came across the universe, informing us of the glory of the Cytracik, the shape shifters caused war. Not quite like this current battle, but a battle with my people. They came to our planet and disguised themselves as the Zoracha. Of course we believed them. They did this to find out our plans for the Battle of the Cytracik. They wanted to take us down. To destroy us so we would not have a chance in survival. They thought that by destroying us, we would not be able to get to the Cytracik. But the shape shifters know very little of our kind. They know very little of the universe and what we can do. They thought they could kill us. They tried to banish us into another dimension. But we were too strong. We banished them from our world so that they could never return. But as they made life on this Island to disguise it for the Battle of the Cytracik, they clearly were not expecting us to come unprepared."

"I don't think that shape shifters are that foolish. The shape shifters knew that the whole universe would come here on this very day to fight for the Cytracik and kill the twins while they're at it. They would have made preparations _just_ for you."

"The twins will die. And the moment they do, the Cytracik will be ours. And once we have the Cytracik, then we can finally kill the Doctor for once and for all!"

"You've come across the Doctor then?" April's voice falters a little.

"We have come across him many times. And he is just the same naive and trusting man now as he was before. It will be the death of him."

"Well," April says slowly. "I'm sure that you are going to have a fun time trying to get to him." Immediately April aims her gun at the Zoracha and shoots without a second thought. However as she does this, the other Zoracha's react in an instant and shoot in her direction. April quickly manages to dodge the fire from their weapons which fly over her head and end up hitting the other Zoracha's opposite them.

April is ready for an attack. But before she has the chance to stand up and fight the rest of the Zoracha's, she is suddenly forced down to the ground. April struggles for a second, but the recognisable dark voice of Orion as he growls in her ear.

"Just stay down!" He then pushes away from her and April remains lying there for a few moments, listening to the fight around her. Bullets fly everywhere and there is the distinct sound of hand-to-hand combat too.

April rolls over onto her back and sees the fire arms flying overhead. She turns her head to the side and is suddenly met with a Zoracha running in her direction. April does not think twice before she scrambles back onto her feet. Her gun, which is on the ground beside where she fell, is kicked away by a silver, steel boot of the Zoracha.

Then the alien starts to fight her. She will not be beaten by this race of aliens she has never encountered before. So April fights back. Using all the tricks and attacks she learnt from UNIT, April uses all her might against this Zoracha. She can feel herself as the stronger opponent.

Soon enough with one last kick, April has the Zoracha down on the ground unconscious.

The fighting has stopped and the rest of the Zoracha's start to flea

"Well," Billie says, breathing heavily once the remaining Zoracha's disappear into the mist of the woods. "They were more coward than I hoped."

Then there is a long silence as if no one knows what to do or even say next. April looks at who is with her: Billie, Orion, Kace and Buddy. So clearly the revolution made it look like they were running into the woods separately, but their main goal was to get back together once they are hidden from the rest of the Island. But are they currently searching for the rest of the revolution? April is certain that teaming up with the other volunteers would be strictly forbidden during the past Day of Destruction's, but would it count the same here? They couldn't be any more subtle while wearing the exact same black clothing and Heat Miles must be watching their every move, especially with their implanted trackers.

April scowls at the leaves on the ground. Right now the rules of the Day of Destruction should be the least of her concerns. The Day of Destruction is something she shouldn't even care about. This is the Battle of the Cytracik. She has to focus on getting them all to safety while they destroy the Cytracik. No doubt they'll have to fight against more alien species other than the Zoracha's.

"You knew what that smoke was, didn't you? Just before the race started." Kace asks, breaking the silence and squaring on April.

April looks up at Kace's grey eyes. "The stench made it hard to deny."

"But what bodies are they burning?" Buddy asks, folding his arms. "We could all smell exactly what it was. That band were clearly there to distract the rest of the villagers away from what Heat Miles are doing. But who have they got to burn?"

April opens her mouth to reply but Orion sharply cuts across her. "The past victims of this godforsaken race," his voice is low and dark, sending shivers down April's spine. "And if we're not careful, we're going to end up being burnt in that furnace too."

April opens her mouth to speak again, wanting to ask Orion how he knows this as this piece of news hasn't yet been informed to the revolution. Kace, Billie and Buddy look rather shocked at Orion's words, clearly not knowing everything, especially what was discovered in the walls in Ellis' house. However Billie quickly cuts across April before she has the chance to question Orion.

"We'd better get a move on," she says, walking forward. "There's plenty more traps around these woods we must disengage."

"You're destroying all the traps?" April asks.

"Honey, someone has to," Billie says and then exchanges glances with the others. "The plan for us was to split into two groups. Us lot are disengaging all the traps so that is one less obstacle for us. One less stupid game Heat Miles wants us to play. So far we have managed to take down three out of ten. I believe you," she points at April. "And that Captain managed to trigger one which destroyed itself in its own fire. So that's four down. As you probably guessed, setting off one of the traps alerts Heat Miles. So obviously Heat Miles knows that four out of their traps to kill us have been destroyed. So the more we destroy, we can lure Heat Miles into the battle. And we're sure that at least every species in these woods will happily kill Heat Miles for the Cytracik."

April nods, knowing that it is a good plan, but she can't help to think to herself of the major flaw. Rodger Barratt is not so prone to falling for tricks and therefore Heat Miles will be the same. Most likely Heat Miles will join the battle here to kill the revolution.

"So what are the others are doing?" April asks, keeping her thoughts to herself.

"Doing that Doctor's fucking duty and trying to keep you alive." Orion snaps, advancing on April.

"Orion." Buddy warns.

April narrows her eyes. "I don't need saving. I can save myself." She hisses through gritted teeth, wondering if everyone knows about her father's dying wish to the Doctor.

"Well Ellis promised your Doctor that he would do whatever it takes to make sure that you come out of these woods alive. I for one don't want anything to do with it."

"I wouldn't expect you to," April takes a step away from Orion as he towers over her. "You may have willingly stepped up for this revolution but I don't trust you and I don't think your heart is in this. Definitely not after I saw you getting that man to cause a riot in the festival."

Orion steps closer to April again and points a large finger in her face. "You don't know what you are saying, Ice Girl. Not all of us are doing this for you. Maybe I'm doing this for myself."

"I said I wouldn't expect anything of you." April bares her teeth.

"None of us deserve to die for you and I'm certainly not willing to."

"What do you want?" April hisses.

"My family's freedom! If that son of a bitch father of yours didn't open the Cytracik in the first place, we wouldn't be here! It's just lucky that he is dead!"

April then suddenly loses control as she attacks Orion. At first she hits him square in the face, but he doesn't even flinch. She then uses all of her strength to push him away.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!" April screams thrashing at Orion, but she is very quickly pulled away.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Buddy snaps at Orion as he pulls him to the side.

"Fighting each other will not solve anything!" Kace shouts as she and Billie hold onto the wriggling April who eventually stops after a while, breathing heavily.

However, April stops struggling in their grip not because she has given up on the fight. But because there is a sound overhead. A low rumbling of some sort of air plane or space craft. Then everything suddenly seems darker than it was before. Everyone stops what they are doing and remain silent as they look up at the twilight sky above them. Something is coming their way and they have to make a quick decision as to what to do.

"Buddy?" Kace asks wearily.

"I don't know what it is," Buddy hisses. "I lost my tracking device to one of those Zygons."

The sound is getting closer, the spacecraft is not too far away from them.

And then there is the sound of a bomb soaring through the sky.

"GET DOWN! GET DOWN!" Orion yells.

Instantly they all fall to the ground, holding their hands over their heads in protection

A series of bombs are being dropped somewhere in the distance. One after the other and each one is getting closer to them. The ground trembles with each bomb. Is this another trap in the woods that someone has set off elsewhere?

Another bomb falls not too far away from them. The ground shakes and ash and debris coats them. Everyone holds their breath for the next.

But then there is nothing. The bombs have stopped falling and the aircraft above them is no longer there.

April is the first to get up. "All okay?" She asks, slightly panicked. Just as everyone starts to get back on their feet, there is the sound of running footsteps behind them. In an instant, April spins around and points her gun in the direction of the running footsteps.

"Fuck sake it's me!" Comes a voice. "Don't shoot!" Then Ellis Lustworve, with his arms raised above his head steps out from the shadows of the trees. He holds a gun in one hand. A quiver full of metal arrows is slung over his back. A recurve bow hangs over his shoulder. Then Billie, Kace, Orion and Buddy all suddenly point their guns at Ellis.

"Just a precaution," Buddy says. "He might be a shape shifter."

"What was the last thing the Doctor said to us before we started this race?" Kace asks, her voice sharp.

Ellis, who looks rather worn for wear, reminding April of what he looked like in her nightmare, breathes out steadily, keeping his hands above his head. "He said that the twins are the only hope that we have."

"Clear." Billie states without hesitation.

As everyone lowers their guns, April scowls at Ellis. Did the Doctor really say that?

But then Ellis raises his gun before she has time for this thought to linger for another second. April quickly realises Ellis is not pointing the gun at the others. But at her.

"Are you April Hollerford?" Ellis orders.

"At least I think so." April mumbles, suddenly taken aback at Ellis as he slowly approaches her, his gun aimed to her head.

"If you're not a shape shifter, then tell me this. When you said that this race is a celebration of your nightmare, what was my response?"

April falters for a moment. How is she supposed to remember this? This happened days ago. This happened the day she first came here to this Island. April tries to think hard about their first meeting. She followed Amelia to their house and Ellis dragged her inside. Here he explained everything she needed to know about the Island, the Day of Destruction and the revolution.

"ANSWER ME!" Ellis yells, his eyes wide.

Then it suddenly comes back to April. "It's a risk more than anything."

For a second Ellis hesitates, not lowering his gun.

"Ellis this is ridiculous. This is April!" Billie insists.

April knows that Ellis is not quite convinced, so she continues. "I told you about my nightmare. I knew about you because you appeared in my nightmare. A future you. But I didn't tell you what it was about. Because I cannot risk that future from happening. How do you think a shape shifter can know that?"

"Perhaps you should ask Rodger Barratt as he is so alike the real man."

April nods. "But I suppose time heals."

Ellis sighs and eventually lowers his gun. "All clear," he then looks back at April, a little warmth in his eyes. "I had to be sure."

April nods. "Understood."

"What's the news?" Buddy asks.

"We were in a fight," Ellis says slowly. "A fight against these tall green aliens with large claws. The ones who came to Rodger Barratt's party."

"The Slitheen." April says, cutting across him. Everyone stares at April as if expecting her to explain herself. "They're the Slitheen. I've come across them before."

Ellis stares at April for a moment before continuing. "I lost the others in the fight. We must have been right at the edge of the woods because Joshua ran into an invisible barrier. That set off another trap."

"What was the trap?" Billie asks.

Ellis shudders. "Zombies I guess you could say. Just these human like creatures that came out from the ground. It was useless trying to shoot them because nothing affected them. So instead Blake started a fire and they burnt to the ground. Then the Slitheen started to chase after us. I had one on my tail and I just lost track of the others as I was running. So I don't know where they are."

"Where's that Slitheen that was following you?" Buddy asks.

"It was shot by something else not far from here."

Then there is silence.

Orion is the first to speak. "I'm not hanging around here for a second longer. I think it's time we should move. Let's stick together."

No one disagrees with Orion. Instead they silently agree and start moving through the trees. April, however, is reluctant. There is something about Orion that seems completely untrusting. It's like he's always plotting something in his mind but proceeds to keep these ideas to himself. He never takes part in group discussions. Ellis glances at April sideways as they walk on.

However they only get so far before they can see something in the distance. Immediately, Billie, who is leading the group with Orion not far behind her, stops walking. In the distance there is a bright white light. Almost as bright as the Black Lighthouse beam.

"What is that?" Kace says aloud, squinting her eyes as if trying to get a better look at the light.

Eventually as their eyes adjust to this bright light in the distance, they notice that it is not one beam of light but at least three balls of light floating in the air. It only takes a matter of seconds before these balls of light start to multiply.

"I don't think that's just light." Buddy says, stating the obvious, but everyone is thinking the same thing. They are starting to see that this is another alien species.

Ellis lays a firm hand on April's shoulder. "Let's just move slowly. We don't know if they can see us," he says in a low voice, but when no one makes a move, Ellis glances at Billie. "Let's go."

Billie inhales a shaky breath before taking a step to her left.

A twig snaps under her foot and immediately these balls of light react to it. With a loud roaring sound, the balls of light soar through the air at a fast pace directly at them.

Right on cue, everyone falls to the ground as the balls of light come into attack. Jets of blue light shoot at them from the balls of white light, and the others have no choice but to shoot back. The balls of white lights fly over their heads, circling them, getting closer and trying to dodge their firearms by hiding behind trees.

However, before April has the chance to fight these strange creatures, Ellis pulls back her elbow as she reaches for her gun. April looks at him, scowling harshly. He only shakes his head.

"Trust me." Ellis says, his dark brown eyes pleading.

April nods and follows Ellis, still crouched down. It is amazing how they both easily slip away from the others and the strange aliens so easily. But once they are out of reach from the aliens, Ellis stops crouching and starts sprinting forward. April follows. She follows him through the trees, running in the most direct route as possible away from the rest of the revolution. The others are nowhere to be seen or heard.

They run for a long time and to April's surprise, they do not come across any other alien species. Let alone any traps. They just jump over many roots and pass countless of trees. Everything here in the woods still seem so much more different to how it was was when April was here with Jason.

For a moment it feels like they might not ever stop running. But just as April thinks this, Ellis does. He stops at the nearest tree and holds out an arm to stop April too. And before she has the chance to say anything, Ellis pushes his whole body up against the tree as much as possible, as if trying to hide. April does the same as she listens to the footsteps grazing the leaves on the other side of the tree.

Whatever alien is passing them, it says nothing. All they can hear is heavy hooves scraping their way through the leaves. There is also the sound of grunts, almost as if this alien is struggling to breathe with every step.

Both April and Ellis hold onto their breaths as this alien gets closer to them. But not knowing where they are, the alien casually walks past the tree and continues down through the woods.

When April is sure that the alien is in no threat to them, she peers around the tree. However, a large Minotaur walking on its hind legs like a human, with a stone trident clutched in one of its hooves, is not something April is expecting. She watches it in mild fascination. But as soon as the Minotaur disappears in the fog, she immediately rounds on Ellis, who looks like he's trying to busy himself with polishing his arrows.

"You lost the group on purpose." April says firmly. It isn't a question or an accusation, but a statement.

Ellis raises his eyebrows but keeps his eyes focused on polishing his arrows. "Am I that predictable?"

"I suppose so," April mutters. "You weren't that convincing when you said how you lost the others. Well not to me anyway."

"Yes well there's not much that can convince you," Ellis says, looking up at April. "What do you want to know?"

"Why does the Doctor think that myself and Max is the only hope you have?"

"Because you are the Ice Girl and he the Lost Brother," Ellis sighs when April only silently glares back at him. "You are the Cytracik's victims and he knows that only you and your brother can destroy it before it can get to something else. Or kill you. He knows that you are plotting something we don't know, that's why you are here," he gestures to the trees around them. "But how you how to destroy the Cytracik is beyond any of us. If you can give us a hint then perhaps we can help you."

"I've got it covered." April says sternly.

"You don't have to do this alone."

"If it means keeping the Doctor alive. Keeping UNIT safe and giving my brother the chance to live the rest of his life then yes, I choose to do this alone."

"And what do you mean by this?" Ellis said, almost laughing in exasperation.

"I'm not disclosing this with you." April mutters, folding her arms self-consciously.

"Alright, I'll tell you my secret then," Ellis pushes himself away from the tree. "I can split myself in two."

April stares at Ellis as he waits for her to respond but she doesn't.

Ellis sighs. "I have this ability to be in two places at one time. And that's what I am currently doing. Right now I am here with you. But I am also away in another part of the woods with Blake, Joshua, Zane and Katheryn. Right now we have bypassed the Slitheen and are hunting down the Daleks as they are the biggest threats right now," Ellis quickly raises his hand to stop April from interrupting him. "We volunteered for this. We know what we are doing."

"The Daleks will kill you without fault!"

"They won't if they can't see us."

April scowls at Ellis for a little while longer before folding her arms. "You did this before," she says. "You split yourself in two when we first met so that the Doctor and I could meet you at the exact same time but in different places."

Ellis nods.

"But how do you do it?"

Ellis holds up his left hand, flashing the silver ring on his little finger. "I took it from my father when he died because I knew what it could do. I didn't realise that once I've put the ring on it'll never come off."

"Is there anything else it can do?" April asks, looking at the plan silver ring.

"It can turn me invisible if I want it to. It became quite useful when I wanted to sneak around the Heat Miles base and listen to the conferences about the Day of Destruction. After I handed in my resignation to Heat Miles five months ago, I turned invisible just to stand back in the office to listen to a discussion between the Major and Lucien."

April nods. "And so the you that is currently searching for the Daleks is going to make himself invisible. Does anyone else know about this?"

"Only my daughter did, up until the Doctor, the Brigadier and Jack Gruntler somehow found out," Ellis exhales. "So what's your secret?"

"I'm the Ice Girl and this Island is orbiting around a cold star. Why did the Doctor ask you to keep me alive? Because I'm to be used for this battle?"

"Because no one can stand the thought of losing April Hollerford."

April shakes her head. "I can't let you do this. You'll die in these woods. UNIT is going back into battle because of me. I don't want this to happen."

"Let it happen."

"Ellis, you've got a life!" April snaps. "You have a daughter who is struggling enough as it is. You have a full life to lead away from this battle."

"And you don't?"

There is a horrible silence as April and Ellis stare at each other. April is momentarily lost as Ellis' last words hit a nerve.

"Fine," Ellis says after a long while. "Let's try to keep everyone in these woods alive. What is the plan? We don't have much time so we need to make this quick."

Jack Gruntler's words ring in her ears from when he reminded her of what she has to do. "Then we have to bring as much attention to ourselves as we can. Let the aliens think that we have found the Cytracik. They'll come to us and it'll give the rest of the revolution to take down the traps."

Ellis nods in agreement. "And how do you think we'll be able to find the Cytracik?"

"Heat Miles took the Cytracik from the Tardis and they'll never let it out their sight. But I'm sure that the Cytracik will make itself seen to the one that needs it the most."


	40. XXXIX - Incoming

**XXXIX  
Incoming**

_The Island  
__The Barn  
__The Day of Destruction_

Weapons lay sprawled across every surface in the barn: on the table, on the benches, hanging up on the iron hooks on the walls, and all over the hay covered floor. Each weapon is assigned to each person: the Doctor, Rose Tyler, Aaron Brimikawood, Maxwell Hollerford, Declan Hollerford, Joseph Hollerford, Martha Jones, Rex Middleton, Sarah-Jane Smith, Ireen Summerland, Aiden Haulman and Will Sullivan. All the people who are willing to risk their lives for this battle.

The barn is filled with silence. Jack Gruntler stands in the entrance to the barn, leaning against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest. He watches everyone as they prepare for battle.

The Doctor insisted that he would be there to see April the moment the Day of Destruction starts, and both Martha and Max willingly joined him. The rest, however, stayed behind and listened to Brigadier Brimikawood as he briefed everyone on what they are going to do: they are to get into the woods and fight in the battle. The main problem is where to find the Cytracik before the Daleks do.

However, it was at that precise moment that the Doctor returned with Max and Martha, informing everyone that Heat Miles have already started to burn the corpses of past victims in the furnace.

It did not take long for everyone to agree that they will have to take down Heat Miles immediately, and by doing that, they will have to take down the base. Both the Doctor and Aaron insisted that they would be the ones to do it.

Now everyone stands around the barn and starts to pack their gear together, hoping that they have enough weapons and ammo to help them through this battle.

Everyone desperate to see the end of the Battle of the Cytracik.

"It will only come to you when it thinks the time is right," Jack says aloud after a while and for a moment, everyone stops what they are doing to turn to look at Jack. "Meaning the Cytracik will still latch itself onto its main topic," he gestures to Max. "The Daleks will only have power over the Cytracik once they have fulfilled the prophecy."

There is a sudden crash as Will hurls something across the barn so it smashes against the wooden wall.

"For fucks sake!" Will bellows making everyone jump. "Is there anything else we need to fucking know before we go head first into this battle?" He turns on Jack. "Are there any more secrets you plan on keeping from us, Jack?"

Jack just stares blankly at Will. "I have told you all that you need to know."

"Are you sure?" Will snaps. "Because it seems that there is a lot you still haven't told us." Will feels a hand lay on his arm. When he turns around to look, Rose is the last person he is expecting to see trying to calm him down.

"It's okay," she says softly. "We know what we are doing. April knows what she is doing. We just need to stick to the plan."

"April pushed me away about an hour before the Day of Destruction. She pushed me away for my safety, thinking that being distant will stop me from helping her." Will's voice is quiet. "She is up to something and no one knows what."

"She wants to save us all alone," the Doctor speaks up. "April thinks that by pushing us away will keep us safe," the Doctor rubs his eyes. "She's intelligent and knows that the Cytracik is after her and Max. So she thinks that by pushing us away from her, we will be safe and we won't be in line to get killed in battle," the Doctor looks over to Max. "She even wants to save you from this."

"But she's unwilling to save herself," Rose says darkly, the realisation sinking in. "Just like how she was when we first met her."

Jack clears his throat. "I wouldn't be so sure on that."

Will lets out a sigh and walks back to where all of his weapons are. However, standing there looking at him is Morgarn, who he swears was not there seconds ago.

"April knows what to do. The Cytracik will eventually find its way to either her or Max. In the meantime, she is to bring enough attention to herself and let whatever aliens in the woods follow her. Like a trap. They will follow her and we can attack. Simple as that." Morgarn says dully.

"But once the Cytracik is destroyed, the battle will be over, right?" Ireen says.

Jack Gruntler hesitates for a moment. "As a matter of speaking yes. Once the Cytracik is destroyed then the battle itself is over and there is no purpose to Heat Miles. However, don't expect all these other species to immediately fly back home once it is destroyed. This will cause a lot of anger and some will still fight because that possible power has been taken away from them."

Rose frowns. "How do we destroy the Cytracik in the first place?"

Both Max and Jack exchange glances. The Doctor watches them both with narrowed eyes, immediately knowing that something is still being kept a secret.

"Doctor," Jack says, catching the Doctor staring at them both. "You're taking the Tardis into the woods."

"I suppose there's no other way in." The Doctor mumbles.

"Well let's get going. Brigadier, lead the way." Jack gestures to Aaron.

Without another word everyone picks up the last of their weapons and start to follow Aaron out the barn. Jack looks at the expression on each face. There is a mixture of fear, determination and sadness. Everyone looks at Jack before leaving the barn, as if accepting that it might be their last time.

Joseph is the last to leave, but before he does, Jack lays a firm hand on his shoulder. They stand there eye-to-eye. Despite Joseph going undercover as both Jack's and Max's butler, Jack looks fondly at him as a friend in need.

"You don't have to go through this," Jack says softly. "You have done as much as you can. They will be able to detect weakness in those woods."

"I understand your concern," Joseph replies, keeping his voice mutual. "But if doing this means that I can give back those years to my grandchildren where they believed I didn't exist, then so be it. I will do anything for them."

Jack nods. "Very much like a Hollerford."

* * *

The woods seem eerily quiet, and in this particular area, the mist does not seem to be as thick as it has been in other areas. Nor does it hang as low. The mist floats just above their heads.

April and Ellis have been searching all through the woods, trying to find a good spot to draw attention to themselves. Somewhere that's open but has enough tree coverage to hide. April stands up against a large tree, her eyes closed as she inhales and exhales deeply. She listens to her surroundings but there isn't much more than the sound of leaves gently blowing in the wind. The coast must be clear. For now.

April opens her eyes and looks towards the trees over to her left. Eventually Ellis peers his head from around a tree to look at her. For a split moment, they hold each other's eye before April looks away, quickly scanning the rest of the woods around her. When she is certain that there is definitely nothing else around them, she looks back over to Ellis and nods her head for him to follow her.

April walks down a small ditch and pulls out a gun – which resembles more like a small hair dryer – that she has never used before. She briefly remembers covering this gun during her UNIT training.

"Right we need to bring as much attention to ourselves as we possibly can," April says as she pulls out the lead at the bottom of the gun to charge it. "And you're sure you know where the others are?"

"Right on the other side of the woods," Ellis nods. "The aliens will get to us quicker than the rest will. I'm sure that my other self can pull them back a little."

"Pull them back as much as you can to save them. If we run east a little more after using this, it will create more distance."

"Will the aliens know where we are going?"

April looks at Ellis with her eyes, her scowl harsh. "We're in the muddiest depth of the woods. Our footprints will be evident." April squelches in the mud as if to prove a point.

"Right, got it," Ellis rolls his eyes. "But do you know what that thing does?"

April looks down at the hair dryer lookalike gun in her hand. "I can take a rough guess." With that, April raises her arm above her head and pulls the trigger. Immediately three jets of pink light spurts out the gun, soaring through the air, past the tree leaves and exploding into the air. What a way to bring attention to their whereabouts, not only to the aliens in the woods, but also to the whole Island.

"Well I wasn't quite expecting that." Ellis says.

But then there is a stir in the woods somewhere amongst the mist. For a second April and Ellis remain rooted to the spot as they look at the trees before them. Shadows move in the distance. Shadows of aliens coming their way.

"Yeah and I think it's best if we get a move on," April warns as she starts pushing Ellis away. "RUN!" She shouts, shoving him harshly.

And immediately, they both start running east.

They climb out the ditch and skip through the trees, trying to dodge as many roots there to trip them. They can hear a stampede of some sort of alien species behind them. There are heavy footfalls and there is also the distinct sound of something flying through the air.

Adrenaline ripples through April's body, and for the first time since she entered these woods, fear starts to overcome her mind. Was Jack wise telling her to draw as much attention to herself? There are hundreds of different alien species chasing after her right now that she does not know of.

To her right, April hears the sound of a foot catching on a root and Ellis falls to the ground. April gasps unintentionally and rushes to help Ellis up. She cannot help the panic that is slowly rising inside of her as she takes hold of his arm and pulls him up onto his feet.

The second he is up they start running again.

Eventually they find themselves in a clearing. The clearing dips ever so slightly and there is a perfect circle of trees around them. Both April and Ellis stop running when they reach the centre of the clearing. They both know that they only have a matter of seconds to catch their breath and prepare themselves for a stampede of aliens. Ellis pulls his bow from his shoulder and attaches an arrow to it. April grabs the gun she feels most comfortable using.

"You ready for this?" Ellis asks as they stand side by side in the centre of the clearing, waiting for the aliens to appear.

"As ready as I'll ever be." April replies. But the moment she says this, an array of aliens appear through the mist surrounding them, and April's breath gets caught in her throat.

"Well," Ellis breathes. "Incoming."

These are aliens that April has never seen before. They are around six foot tall and are covered in black hair from head to toe. Like look like large piles of black fur She can see nothing else other than two large, round yellow eyes in its head. But immediately the aliens start to charge at them. April turns around and kicks the furry alien closest to her, square in the stomach, winding it. The alien falls back into the mud, and without further ado, she shoots the next.

Ellis shoots arrows left right and centre, piercing the hearts of every alien that comes near.

But more and more come their way. As they fight these black fluffy aliens, there is a roar in the distance and more unknown aliens start running their way. It is two against hundreds, yet neither April nor Ellis stop fighting.

When April sees that Ellis is slowly running low on his arrows, she throws him a gun, which he catches with one hand and shoots the nearest alien coming his way without hesitation. That's when April pulls her UNIT knife from her belt and starts slashing the nearest aliens.

It is never ending. Loads of different species of aliens keep coming at them from every direction.

But that is when April comes into contact with a Slitheen. A tall Slitheen that is walking towards Ellis, its claws raised above its head, ready for an attack. Ellis, however, is already busy fighting off another alien. He is completely oblivious to the Slitheen ready to kill him.

April quickly pulls out her gun, aims and pulls the trigger, wanting to shoot the Slitheen right through its head. But the gun clicks and nothing happens.

Trust the gun she feels most comfortable with to be completely out of ammo already.

"ELLIS!" April screams, but the moment she says this, another alien suddenly latches itself onto her and April is thrown sideways. April falls harshly onto the mud, but immediately starts to fight away this creature which strongly resembles a large lizard. She takes her knife and stabs the lizard-like alien in its neck. The alien screeches in pain and rolls off April, spurting grey blood everywhere.

April rolls over and looks to Ellis, but he is not there. Panic starts to rise again, but then she finds the Slitheen that was going to attack Ellis being tackled to the ground. And it isn't Ellis there, but a man April has met before.

Aiden Haulman throws himself at the Slitheen, tackling it to the ground and stabbing it multiple times. For a moment, April remains lying in the mud, watching Aiden kill this Slitheen. And all she can think of is pray that this man does not die because of her.

April, however, has very little time to think about this before another alien comes running up to her. With a kick of her leg, she trips the alien up and shoots it with another gun. She then scrambles to her feet and take in her surroundings.

They are completely outnumbered by the amount of aliens around them. For a moment, both April and Ellis stand near each other, breathing heavily as they look at these new aliens running their way.

"Come on, April," Ellis says, spitting out blood as he does. "We've come this far. Let's not give in." He then pierces an arrow straight through the heart of another alien.

April kills off as many aliens as she can manage, noticing the way Aiden Haulman seems to be focusing more on the ever growing number of Slitheen. But as she fights there is the unmistakable sound of something coming their way. The groaning sound to indicate that something is nearly here.

April cannot handle her mixed emotions of whether or not she is pleased to hear the sound of the Tardis again.


	41. XL - Lets kill Heat Miles

**XL  
Lets kill Heat Miles**

_The Island  
__The Woods  
__The Day of Destruction_

The Tardis does not materialise on the ground in a flash of blue lights like it usually does. The groaning sound comes from somewhere above the trees and this causes enough panic amongst the aliens who are not expecting the Doctor to arrive like this.

But it doesn't take long before the Tardis comes crashing through the leaves of the trees, hurtling towards the ground. April is fascinated for she has not seen the Tardis in flight like this before. It spins on its axis, the wooden edges of the police box knocking out a few aliens along the way. April just stares up at it, praying to herself that they all will be safe.

But the door swings open and there is Aaron Brimikawood. He does not hesitate before jumping out of the Tardis, landing on a Zygon and stabbing it in its back.

And seconds after the appearance of the Tardis, the rest of the revolution make their way into the fight. April continues with the fight and before she knows it, everyone she knows is here in the woods with her taking part in the Battle of the Cytracik.

"April!"

April turns on the spot to see Ireen. Ireen quickly throws a gun in her direction which April catches. Luckily its the same gun she feels most comfortable with, but this time it is fully charged and full of ammo.

Everyone fights for this battle. Trying to kill each other off. And at this current situation, these aliens are easily killed off with the use of knifes and guns. April eventually finds herself fighting near the Doctor; both of them tackling a couple of Zoracha's. However, seeing him struggle with his sonic screwdriver, April pulls out a large gun, similar to a shotgun. She manages to aim it and pull the trigger. The bullet pierces the Zoracha through the head and does the same with the one the Doctor is fighting.

Without fail, the Doctor joins April and immediately pulls her to the ground as some blue electrical charge soars above their heads.

"Aaron and I are going to blow up the Heat Miles base." The Doctor says as they remain crouched down on the ground.

"What?" April splutters before shooting down a Zygon approaching them to her left.

"This is part of the plan from the start. If we couldn't get Heat Miles on our side, then we will have to destroy them."

"How are you going to do that?" April asks but then pushes the Doctor over so that he is lying on his back, before killing a few more aliens coming their way.

"We have our tricks," the Doctor groans as he sits up. "April, you have to listen to me now," the Doctor grabs onto her elbow firmly. "Whatever you do, don't give into the fight. Rose is going to lead the way with Rex once we go. You need to get away from here as quickly as possible with the revolution. The Cybermen and the Daleks are on their way. Just run and get to the festival as quickly as possible. As soon as you are there, the base will be blown up and then we're hoping the woods will go down with it. And everything inside the woods will be killed. Do you understand me?"

April says nothing but nods. But as she looks over the Doctor's shoulder, that is when she sees the army of Cybermen marching through the trees towards the battle. The Doctor notices this, and without saying another word, he leaves April and disappears amongst the battle.

Further through the battle, standing around a pile of dead aliens, stands Rose and Rex. Rex holds onto a large gun shaped like a tube that sits over his shoulder. The gun is aimed directly at the Cybermen coming their way.

"Shoot on my word," Rose says, her hand gently resting on Rex's back. "Then everyone will start to leave."

Rex keeps his focus on the eye piece to the gun, making sure that his aim will not miss the Cybermen, but he is aware of how close the Cybermen are getting to them. "Rose, if I don't shoot soon, the impact will hit us too." He warns after a moment.

Rose quickly scans around the clearing, waiting for the signal. "Come on." She mutters under her breath. She then finds Martha in the middle of the fight who is meant to give them the signal to shoot. But Martha is tied up fighting the aliens, and by the looks of it she is struggling.

Rose starts to panic. The Doctor and Aaron have already gone to the Heat Miles base. For a few moment she stands there helplessly watching everyone fight the aliens in the space in front of her.

"Rose..." Rex's voice is a clear warning.

Rose finds April amongst the crowd, lashing against some aliens she does not know of.

"Shoot now!" Rose shouts.

Rex pulls the trigger. A large, round black ball shoots out of the gun and soars through the air, skimming the heads of any tall aliens. But it collides into the ground in front of the Cybermen and explodes like a bomb, blowing the Cybermen off their feet.

"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" Rex yells and immediately everyone but the aliens start to leave the clearing. Rex takes hold of Rose's arm and starts pulling her away. "Come on, Rose. They will catch up."

Rose remains rooted to the spot, scanning the fight and desperately searching for Terry, April or Max. But Terry eventually emerges from the crowd and runs in their direction. Terry does not think twice before she shoves Rose forward and they start running away, following the route Jack told them to get back to where the festival is.

And without fail, everyone kills off the last alien they were fighting before running away. Soon enough, April and Ellis is left behind, Ellis clearly not being informed of this new plan. A few Cybermen who were not badly injured in the explosion start to get back on their feet and march towards the battle.

Max runs to the top of the clearing turns to see that his sister is still there in the middle of the battle.

"April!" He shouts when he realises that April is just standing there, looking at something. But then that is when he sees it too.

The Cytracik sits in the ground not too far from April. The aliens around her are too busy fighting each other, they are oblivious to the one thing they are fighting for.

April turns to look at her brother. For a second they look, but then April immediately runs to the Cytracik and picks it up. Every alien species is fighting for this and yet the Cytracik came to her. The box feels light in her hands as if it does not weigh a thing. But she stands up and looks over at her brother. He is thinking the exact same thing as she is. She sees him nod his head once and she does it. With all her might, she throws the Cytracik overhead. And miraculously, it flies over the heads of the fighting aliens before Max catches it.

"The Cytracik!" One of the aliens who obviously saw April throwing it, shouts. "She has the-" But the alien is immediately cut off as Ellis shoots it dead.

As soon as Max starts running away to follow the others, the Cytracik tightly clutched in his arms, April and Ellis follow. They push their way through the crowd of fighting aliens, killing any that comes their way. But then three Cybermen fly overhead.

Cybermen can fly? April briefly thinks this to herself but she keeps running. They are almost at the end of the closing and soon enough, the aliens will loose them amongst the trees and the mist.

However, a monkey-like alien, the same one that was in the battle in the arena, latches itself onto April's back and pulls her down. She can feel claws digging into her arms but she manages to shoot the alien off her. And with all her energy she has left, she scrambles up the edge of the clearing. She is nearly there. But when she turns back, Ellis is not with her.

Panic rises in April's throat but she sees him fighting off the monkey aliens. April does not think twice before she shoots down the aliens.

"Ellis!" April shouts once she's shot them all.

Ellis looks frantic and angry, but when he sees April, he runs towards her as quickly as he can. April holds out her hand towards him to help him out of the clearing. However, Ellis only climbs so far before a flying Cybermen swoops down and using the knife in replacement of its steel hand, stabs Ellis in his back.

Ellis screams out in pain as the Cybermen starts dragging him away.

"ELLIS!" April screams hysterically as she helplessly watches this Cyberman drag him back into the battle.

Ellis weakly wriggles in the Cyberman's grip, but he looks at April. She can hear his last words.

"Don't let them kill me!"

With a shaking hand, April raises her gun and aims it at Ellis, knowing that she has no choice. She pulls the trigger and immediately, Ellis' cries cease.

"April, come on!" Max's voice echoes through the trees. And soon enough, Max is there by her side, pulling her forward. "April, no matter how many we lose, we need to keep going. You are a soldier!"

It is as if something kicks inside of April for she starts running and does not look back. They run through the trees as fast as they can until they eventually catch up with the others. Max and April run with everyone else who is being led by Rose and Rex. April scans the back of everyone's head and is thankful to see the bouncing blond curls of Will.

However as they run, a few bullets are shot in their direction. Someone falls down and cries in pain as everyone else takes cover behind trees. Somewhere over to the right of the woods, a group of Heat Miles workers are ready to fight for them. However Sarah-Jane is the first to react. She pulls out a silver boomerang and throws it in their direction. It hits a nearby tree and immediately there is an explosion, killing those Heat Miles workers.

"Everyone keep running and don't stop!" Rex yells and all do as they are told.

They continue running as fast as they can through the woods. However there is the unmistakable sound of a spaceship flying through the air above them. Coincidentally as this happens, aliens from the clearing start chasing after them.

But no one stops running.

April finds herself running close to Joshua, desperate to keep a close eye on him.

However, no one is expecting the spaceship above them to start shooting down yellow heat beams, burning and disintegrating anything caught in its light. Everyone panics but does their best to dodge the many beams that are being shot down to the ground.

April keeps running by Joshua's side. Suddenly another heat beam shoots down next to her and burns Joshua into smithereens.

"No!" April cries as she momentarily stops running, looking down at Joshua's burnt remains in the mud.

"KEEP MOVING!" Rex yells from up ahead and April keeps running. Her mouth parched, her throat dry. She has to fight the urge to be sick.

But more fall down as they run. Another beams shoots down and burns Billie.

The ground comes alive and something underneath the muddy leaves drags Zane underground.

An alien behind them fires a weapon and without a sound, Morgarn lands on the ground.

Will stops and falls to Morgarn's quivering side. April slows down to stand by his side, looking down at her. Morgarn is not quite dead. She will either die of this injury or by the coming aliens. April, not caring about having to keep moving for a split moment, kneels down by Will's side. He does not say anything but tears leak out of his eyes. April does not care about his past with this woman, but she knows how he is feeling. Especially as she watched both Ellis and Joshua killed only moments before.

April takes Morgarn's bony hand in hers. She can feel the way Morgarn holds onto her as if her life depends on it. But April says nothing before she raises her gun and places it to Morgarn's temple. For a moment, Morgarn stops whimpering as she looks at April; their eyes locking. The look in her eyes shows that she knows. April has to shoot her, because it will be better than to die in pain from the aliens of this battle.

April pulls the trigger, just like she did for Ellis. There is a dull thud as the bullet pierces her skull. Then Morgarn is still.

Without a second thought, Will grabs onto April's face and kisses her in the spur of the moment. When he pulls away, his blue eyes look into hers. "Do what you have to do." He whispers.

April nods. "Keep the rest safe."

Will kisses her gently one more time before he stands up and runs to follow the others.

April remains kneeling by Morgarn's side for a little longer. But as the aliens chasing them comes nearer, April has no choice but to leave the scene. She stands up and is ready to run, but not in the same direction that the others are going. Morgarn, Ellis, Joshua, Zane and Billie are already dead.

Enough is enough.

However, April is only back on her feet for a couple of seconds before there is a loud explosion in the far distance. But the explosion has a high enough impact that the ground shakes vigorously. The silence from the aliens behind her can only mean one thing.

The Doctor and Aaron have succeeded. The Heat Miles base is no longer standing.


	42. XLI - Words with the King and ghosts

**XLI  
Words with the King and ghosts**

_The woods  
__The Day of Destruction_

April runs in a completely different direction to where the other's are going. And she is sure that no other alien has caught her doing this as nothing seems to be after her. However April runs only so far before the mist gets thicker and the sounds of the battle are no longer there.

April finds herself in yet another clearing in the woods, but different to the one where the main battle commenced. Here she can hear the sea close by. A cold shiver runs down her spine. The Doctor said that the woods would hopefully go down once the Heat Miles base was destroyed and yet here it still stands.

April dares not to move any more. Although she can see the sea and the edge of the Island through a gap in the trees in front of her, she can also see the waver in the air to indicate the force-field around these woods.

"If you want to kill me I am right here!" April yells to no one in particular. She is aware that she is being fully watched by someone or something. "Just come out and face me!" She scans the shadows in the trees, expecting to see something jump out of the darkness and fight her. But the mist becomes thicker. It just grows thicker and thicker by the minute before it becomes almost suffocating. But just as it gets overbearingly thick, the mist completely disappears. The air is suddenly clear.

But what floats in front of April is something she least expects she would ever see.

A few feet away from her in the clearing are five ghosts.

A cry catches in April's throat as she sees the five faces she thought she would never see again.

Her real parents float there, looking lovingly at her. Then to their left floats Jason Hoffman, Harry Summerland and Bruce Fey, but not of the man she once feared.

There is complete silence. Almost as if they are shut away from the real battle. But April is speechless as she looks into the ghostly eyes of her parents. Not her parallel parents who looked at her somewhat differently. They looked at her like they knew who she is but refused to admit it. But here are her real parents. The ghosts of Suzette and Declan Hollerford look down at April lovingly. They look just like April remembers them. Her mum's thick brown, wavy hair perfectly sitting on her shoulders and her father's tattered clothes. She finds herself staring at her parents for a while as they smile at her. She would do anything to be able to hear their voices again.

April then looks at Bruce Fey who is by Suzette's side. Not even a flicker of fear crosses April. She looks at this man in a new light. The man she feared for five years of her life, but it wasn't him. The ghost of Bruce looks just how she always remembered him; very large and round, short black hair, big eyes, thick moustache and high cheekbones. He offers her a soft smile, just the way he always used to, not the hard, threatening look of the shape shifter.

And next to Bruce is Harry Summerland. As soon as she catches his bright eyes, he immediately grins, flashing his teeth. He still seems to be wearing the exact same clothes as he was the day April took him into hospital in that parallel world. The day he died.

Then April's eyes flicker over to Jason and immediately she starts to cry. She is overcome with guilt.

A loud sob escapes her lips and April quickly covers her mouth with one hand as she cries, clutching her stomach with her free hand.

"I'm so sorry!" April cries, unable to stop the flow of tears. "None of you deserved to die," she looks at Jason. "Especially you." She sobs even more but the ghosts do not respond. Instead they all look at her, hurt in their eyes.

April cries even harder as she quickly realises that these ghosts cannot talk back to her. The small glint of hope that she had seconds ago, hoping that she could hear all their voices again is crushed in a matter of seconds. The ghosts can do nothing but helplessly look at her from the other side.

The ghost of Declan reaches for Suzette's hand. Suzette's eyes are filled with tears as she helplessly stares down at her daughter.

When April manages to compose herself between her sobs, she looks back up to her parents. They must at least be able to hear her. "I did what you wished for," she says weakly. "I found my brother and stayed by his side. But he deserves to live the rest of his life."

Harry's grin turns into a frown.

"I can't keep going through with this. You must know that. To win this battle I must lose my own. I must do what I've always wanted to do," she shakes her head. "I'm not even scared. Not any more."

Bruce glances over his shoulder and more ghosts suddenly appear. At first there is a small handful of people she can recognise, but then there is a very large group that surrounds her completely. Each and every ghostly face is someone April has come across before in her travels and who has died:

The Vicar back in Wales, little Joshua, Aiden Haulman, Billie, Kace, Zane, Morgarn, Max's love: Edina, Ellis Lustworve, Horace Bellingham, Beatrice Bellingham, Nathaniel Davidson, Private Jefferson, every UNIT soldier who died in battle, and to April's surprise, Officer-Cadet Alic Grange.

"Alic?" April's voice croaks. "You've...?"

But Alic nods in answer to her question, looking fondly down at her. Alic is dead. He died alone in hospital while they were fighting and no one knew about it.

However seeing the ghosts of all these people who have died while she has been around, April can't quite shake off the feeling that this is how the Doctor feels all the time; knowing that many people he knows have been killed on his behalf. It's taken her long enough but April can finally feel like she can relate to the Doctor.

April looks at Ellis, still not believing that he is dead. "You know why I had to shoot," she says and then nods to Morgarn. "And you."

Morgarn, who's eyes are glistening with tears, raises her bony hand and places it on her heart before bowing her head in acceptance.

April looks back at Ellis. "Amelia will be safe, I can promise you that. The Cytracik will be destroyed before the night is over and it will not torture her."

Ellis manages a weak smile but it trembles as he holds back his tears.

April then looks around all of the UNIT soldiers, fondly remembering the time when she would walk into the UNIT base and it being full of life. Memories flash across her mind. The day she first met UNIT. The night they rode on Wingerdettes into the night sky after training. Celebrating Christmas and New Years together.

With a frown, April fumbles in her jean pocket, looking for that Wingerdette broach she found on planet Zorlon, but suddenly remembers giving it to Ireen. "The Wingerdettes," April speaks. "Ireen will call them for help tonight, won't she?"

There is a collective nod amongst the UNIT ghosts.

"So the rest will get out alive," April then walks over to Jason, looking him square in the eye, but tears continue to fall. "I'll do what we set out to do. I'll complete the job."

Jason smiles weakly but he looks sad.

April then looks at her parents one last time, wanting so badly to hear their voices again, but they only look at her, completely full of love. April takes a few steps away so that she is standing in the centre of the clearing. She looks directly at her parents who are holding onto each other.

"You'll stay with me till the end, right?" April asks, her voice wavering. "Please."

Suzette smiles and nods, ghostly tears falling down her cheeks.

A solid hand lays on April's shoulder. She is not scared as the hand is not threatening. But she turns around to look at a grubby looking Doctor. His hand squeezes her shoulder, and then he points back to the ghosts. April turns around and sees her parents floating right by her side. They are so close it is as if they really are there.

Suzette holds something in her hand and holds it out to April. April lifts her hand and Suzette drops it into her palm. Something turns from ghostly to solid the second it touches April's skin. April looks down at the little silver badge in her palm. She rolls it over and recognises it as a UNIT badge. Along the top of the badge states COMMANDER, and along the bottom states HOLLERFORD.

April's scowl deepens in confusion. "But father wasn't a part of UNIT in my world," April says questioningly. "He was only their friend."

"It's a gift for you," the Doctor says softly. "If you are to be a part of UNIT, Aaron would take you on as their Commander and lead astronomer."

April closes her fingers over the badge. Is this her parent's way of telling her not to go through with her plan? Just from the tone of the Doctor's voice, it is clear that he knows. April looks at her parents.

"I can't let another die for me. And I can't let my prophecy be fulfilled." April says quietly.

Suzette gives her a knowing looks and her shoulders move as if she is laughing.

"You understand, right?"

Declan nods his head and April can just about hear him say in her head: _Of course we do_.

With that, the ghosts start to disappear until there is nothing left of them but the thin mist in the air. April breaks down into sobs again. The Doctor wraps his arms around her as she cries into his chest. For a moment they stand there, the Doctor gently rocking her from side to side.

"You're okay, April," he whispers. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise."

"Oh how very touching." Says a dark voice from the trees.

April and the Doctor immediately spring apart, ready for an attack at the sound of Rodger Barratt's voice. April grabs onto her gun and aims. She has to blink a few times to clear her vision of tears. What neither she nor the Doctor is expecting is to see the five Daleks, along with the twin Daleks standing around him.

"It's all very moving seeing how many dead people claim to love you both," Rodger Barratt says bitterly. "But they are all dead and there's not a lot they can do to help you."

"So first you bring an army of Cybermen to the parallel world," the Doctor says darkly. "And now you've managed to pull the Daleks onto your side too."

"Well the Daleks are soldiers, like yourselves, and need orders. They want what I want so what better way then to join two powerful forces together for the Cytracik? But they are cut loose from a leader. Since you killed their King, they were in need of a new one." Rodger Barratt indicates to himself and then starts to laugh bitterly. "You can put that gun down, April, you won't shoot me. I believe there's someone else on this Island who has a higher desperation to kill me than you do. But it is fine because I am the King. I will hold the Cytracik and there is nothing that can stop us."

"You're full of faults," April snaps. "Try making a paradox."

"I'm sure that that will be very unlikely." Rodger Barratt clicks his fingers and then immediately there is a force that strangles both April and the Doctor. April drops her gun and the Doctor drops his sonic screwdriver as they both attempt to claw at the invisible force groping at their necks.

Rodger Barratt starts to walk towards them with ease, clearly not needing his walking cane at all. He holds his hands behind his back as he approaches them. "You see I knew you two would be predictable. I guess that April would wander off on her own and the Doctor would follow because he hates his _companions_ wandering off without him. Both of you. Pathetic. You just want to save the world and everyone around you. But all you end up doing doing is killing everything else in your wake. I mean in hindsight it gives me a little less to do," he waves his hand and the force strangling the Doctor and April becomes stronger. "But it is entirely unbelievable how utterly similar and predictable the both of you are. And just like that snooty Monroe. He's just like you. Predictable, stubborn, and crazy all the same. But thanks to us, he is completely deranged," Rodger throws his head back and lets out a roar of laughter. "Now tell me if I should really let the twins Daleks loose now? Should I have it exterminate the Ice Girl first and then follow the Lost Brother? Or shall I let the other Daleks exterminate your friends first? What shall it be?" He stands in front of the Doctor who's face is getting more and more purple by the second. "How would you like to see your beloved Rose Tyler die right before your eyes, Doctor?"

Rodger Barratt snarls as he looks down his nose at the Doctor. The Doctor is taller than Rodger Barratt, but from being chocked, the Doctor's knees give way. Rodger Barratt sighs and clicks his fingers. Immediately the force leaves the Doctor and April. They both fall to the ground, coughing and heaving and spluttering for air.

Rodger Barratt shakes his head in mild amusement. "Now pay attention closely," he says and with a wave of a hand, a holographic screen which shows everyone else running through the woods, appears in the air.

"They...should be...out...by now..." the Doctor splutters as he watches the holographic image of his friends desperately trying to find an exit.

"Well these woods can be made far bigger than you would expect. I mean they are rather bigger on the inside than it seems on the outside. Am I right?" Rodger Barratt folds his arms.

"Let them go!" the Doctor growls. "If there's even the slightest bit of human Rodger Barratt in your shape shifter form, then let them go!"

Rodger Barratt cackles. "He was just as cold blooded as I am to begin with! That's why I have grown so attached to his form. And besides, letting your friends go will spoil the fun."

As Rodger Barratt speaks, both April and the Doctor notice the sudden decrease in temperature and how their each breath starts to condense in the air. They both remember times when the air would suddenly get very cold very quickly, and it only meant the arrival of one thing.

April and the Doctor think the same thing, but neither of them dare to look at each other, in case they give anything away.

"Now," Rodger Barratt continues. "Sargent."

"Yes, my Lord." The Black Dalek responds.

"Would you do the honours of exterminating Rose Tyler?"

"Rose Tyler will be exterminated for sure. The Daleks will rule again. We will beat the Doctor!"

Rodger Barratt chuckles to himself.

All the while this is being said, the Doctor glances over to the shadows in the trees. And there he see a very skinny looking Monroe, hiding behind a tree, watching the scene. His eyes are wild with the madness ridden inside of him. But a flicker across his face is enough to know that Monroe is not here with his army to get at the Doctor or April. He is here to get at Rodger Barratt. The Doctor knows this look very well for he has seen it many times before. Revenge. Revenge on Rodger Barratt for torturing him.

The back Dalek starts to move across the space, passing Rodger Barratt and heading for the trees, supposedly going in the direction to where their friends are.

"You see," Rodger Barratt starts just as the black Daleks start to float a few feet off the ground. "You can't win, Doctor. Each and every species that wanted to behold the Cytracik mainly wanted to use it to kill you. But I have that power to do it myself."

"The only problem is, _King_," the Doctor spits out the last word. "Is that you have taken the form of Rodger Barratt so well that you practically are him. In fact you killed him and took on his form a mere year before he was supposed to die of age," the Doctor half smirks. "And unfortunately, you are going the same way."

Rodger Barratt's face darkens as the Doctor speaks. That is when April notices Monroe moving in the trees.

"You've become him that you are going to meet his fate."

"LIKE I DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW THAT!" Rodger Barratt shouts but very quickly composes himself.

"So you are dying then."

"The shape shifters are immortal!"

"Not quiet," the Doctor forces himself to stand up, although he knees tremble under his weight. "You see I destroyed that shape shifter who took the form of Bruce Fey. It was there to kill April because you were unaware about the Black Lighthouse void and that the Daleks were that shadow in April's nightmare. For an extra precaution, I threw the remains of that shape shifter into the black hole next to your home galaxy. But as for you. You have become human. So if I wanted to, I can pick up April's gun, shoot you in the heart and kill you on the spot," the Doctor shrugs. "And I blew up your army in the Heat Miles base and so I guess that shape shifters are not so immortal. There's just you. Brigadier Brimkawood has Lucien captive. But the fault in that is that Lucien is human. Not a trace of shape shifter in him."

Rodger Barratt cries out in anger and runs to the Doctor for an attack. Suddenly an electrical blue charge surrounds Rodger Barratt and he is frozen on the spot.

That is when Monroe Setzik steps out of the shadows.

The Daleks suddenly move back an inch in fright, just like they always do when the Doctor makes an appearance.

"So we've finally found your fault," Monroe says and he jumps out from behind the trees and steps into the clearing, full of confidence. "This shape shifter has become so much alike the man I used to look up to during my early days in UNIT, that now he can die as easily as I can," Monroe ignores the Doctor and April as he stands directly in front of Rodger Barratt, enjoying the way he cannot move anything but his eyes. "I guess we'll go down together then. How does that sound?"

"You will not destroy our new King!" One of the silver Daleks yells.

"Exterminate!" Another yells but before it has the chance to kill him, a Nobody flies through the air out of the shadows and throws shots of blue electricity at the Dalek. The Dalek screams in pain as the Nobody tortures it.

The other Daleks becomes infuriated by this and start yelling aloud, threatening to exterminate him. But when the second Dalek goes to shoot, more Nobody's fly out to them and they stop.

The clearing is filled with angry shouts from the Daleks. April and the Doctor stand there by each other's side, staring at the scene in front of them. Both in mild awe of the scene.

The Doctor shakes his head. "So it's true. The Cytracik really has driven every species into madness. The Daleks before were scared. And now they're manic."

April turns to the Doctor, suddenly remembering. "Doctor, Max has the Cytracik." She warns in a low voice.

Keeping an eye on the Daleks, the Doctor places a hand on April's back. "It's fine. I have a plan." And with a slight trembling hand, the Doctor reaches for his sonic screwdriver on the ground. He steps away from April, walks around the frozen Rodger Barratt and approaches the twin Daleks.

The moment the twin Daleks notice the Doctor approaching them, they stop yelling immediately. And then the other Daleks stop. Then there is a cold silence.

"Time Heals." The Doctor says sinisterly.

"What does that mean, Doctor?" The black Dalek says slowly.

April hovers in the background, looking warily from Monroe to the Doctor. Monroe is tense. He knows. April only scowls. What does Time Heals mean? Why does everyone keep saying it?

The Doctor starts to walk around the space. "It was once said that time heals all wounds. In this case it means that when something bad happens in your life say you lose a loved one to death, you have a near death experience, you have a fight, whatever it is, life will go on and time will heal those wounds. But those of us who understand what it really means knows that times does not heal all wounds. Because wounds leave a mark on your skin. A mark that will never go away for it is a constant reminder of what happened. You may move on but it will not necessarily heal."

April self consciously folds her arms, covering her scars.

"Where are you getting to, Doctor?" The black Dalek snaps.

"I'm giving you a lesson. Because every time I say that Time Heals, it scares you."

"WHAT DOES IT MEAN?" One of the silver Daleks screams.

The Doctor looks at the black Dalek dead in the eye. "I am the one who holds time in my hands. I have the ability to go back and right what was wrong. However the only time that cannot be rewritten is this battle. I cannot change what happened before in this battle and I will never be able to change what happens now. But there is a reason why you and so many species in this universe gets scared when they hear the term Time Heals. It is because it means me. Another term like the Oncoming Storm. I am the time healer and forever will be."

"Well, I think forever is a long time for you, Doctor." Rodger Barratt's voice makes everyone jump. However, before he has the chance to take a step forward, Monroe suddenly takes a swing at him. But Rodger Barratt blocks him with his forearm.

Monroe and Rodger Barratt then stand closely face-to-face, eyes glaring and teeth bared.

"Let's see who's the dead one at the end of this." Monroe growls.

And then the fight breaks out. Rodger Barratt and Monroe attack each other in a fist fight whereas the Nobody's fight the Daleks. However, it is clear that the Daleks are far stronger than the Nobody's.

The Doctor runs to April and holds her, stopping her from joining the fight. "Your work here is done." The Doctor says darkly. April however is rather bemused. Yet she watches the Doctor as he pulls out the psychic paper. He writes a notes on the paper but the words immediately sink into the paper until it vanishes completely.

"What are we going to do?" April asks as she glances over to Rodger Barratt and Monroe fighting.

"We just hold on." But as the Doctor says this, Max suddenly appears in the clearing, holding onto the Cytracik with both hands.

April suddenly feels sick to the stomach at the sight of her brother standing there. What is he doing? His face is hard. Angry. A look she hasn't seen before but knows what it is. A look to want to see the end of this battle.

"Max, NO!" April screams but the Doctor pulls her back.

Without a second thought, Max prises the Cytracik open.

The second it opens, a force pushes everyone back as a thick, smoky black shadow spurts out of the Cytracik and fills the air. It is the exact same shadow that always came out of the Black Lighthouse.

The pain in April's chest is excruciating. She is left on the ground, screaming manically, unable to breathe. The Doctor drops to his knees by April's side. There is a strong gale around then as the black shadow flies vigorously through the air.

But then it happens.

The Daleks start to scream and disintegrate. The Cytracik is killing off the Daleks.

The Doctor starts to laugh. "April, it's working! It's working!"

Max still holds onto the Cytracik with all his might, sweat pouring down his face. But only mere seconds go by and the shadow quickly shrinks back into the black box and the Cytracik snaps shut. The gale stops blowing and then the air is still.

For a second there is nothing but the sound of someone whimpering and another groaning weakly.

The Doctor stands up and looks down at a shaken April. He looks at the way she curls into herself, hugging her knees. He then looks over to Max who is staring down at the Cytracik in his hands. He then looks at Rodger Barratt.

Rodger Barratt is no longer the sinister man they all hate, but a small insignificant man. Weak. He is on the ground, not able to move. His hair is slowly falling out and he looks like he has aged a few more years. But he is still far from death.

The Doctor looks down at Rodger Barratt pitifully.

"Kill me then, Doctor." Rodger Barratt's voice is a whisper as he uses what little strength he has left.

"I think that solves the issue," the Doctor says aloud. "The twins are now the most powerful human beings in the universe."

Rodger Barratt manages a weak smile. "But the prophecy will still be fulfilled. The Black Lighthouse will flash five more times in the next forty eight hours, and once it does, the prophecy will be fulfilled."

The Doctor bites his tongue. Max and April hear every word.

"You'll die in prison. You are going to be imprisoned in your own Island, your _Majesty._" The Doctor and Rodger Barratt stare at each other for a long time.

Then there is another whimper, and this brings April back to her senses. April uncoils herself and looks around. There she sees Monroe in a foetal position, trembling and whimpering in fear. She crawls over to him and sits him up. That is when she holds him in her arms and rocks him back and forth, just like she did with Aaron when he was being tormented from his past in the other dimension.

This weak man is not the madman that escaped his cell and killed Jason without even a blink of an eye. This is not the man who created an army of Nobody's. This is a scared man who has been tortured enough.

"I guess Jack Gruntler was correct," April says quietly. "I guess we really aren't too dissimilar."


	43. XLII - Afterwards

**XLII  
Afterwards**

_The Island_

Word spreads across the Island like a house of fire, and it is a surprise for the villagers to take the news in their stride. They listen but it causes havoc. Their King is a fraud. An alien. The citizens of the Island have been ruled over by aliens or the past five years. Heat Miles are dead. The Day of Destruction was only ever a trap. Heat Miles have been trying to kill off the volunteers and anyone on the Island who posed to be a threat. No one is in charge of the Island. And the revolution is known.

And of course all the attention is drawn to this year's volunteers. Ten ran into the woods the night before. But it is now dawn and only five return. As Orion, Buddy, Katheryn and Blake leave the woods, they are immediately swamped by the villagers, all begging for answers.

Chaos fills the field in which the festival was.

Then the Doctor steps into the light of dawn, squinting his eyes. There are shouts and yells for help. People screaming and pushing against each other.

Aaron follows the Doctor and stands by his side. Then Rose, Terry and everyone else who fought in the battle. Max and April are last. April however, stares down at the muddy grass, feeling the flecks of rain fall down on her. Her scowl is harsher than normal, giving her a slight headache, but she ignores it.

There is a low rumble and the villagers start to scream. A large spaceship suddenly erupts from the woods and flies overhead. The loud rumble shakes the ground as the ship flies away, disappearing into the distance. And then many smaller ships follow.

The aliens leave the Island. Their battle for the Cytracik clearly lost.

However as the spaceships fly away, something in the distance calls like a bird. Everyone looks over the horizon to see hundreds of small black creatures flying in their direction; their dragon-like wings flapping at their sides.

Ireen smiles as she clutches April's Wingerdette broach. "There's our way home."

* * *

Things eventually calm down as the day wears on. Max took it in his right to take charge. He stood on the roof of a car and bravely spoke to the villagers of the Island. Here he explained everything. He explained how they have been living a lie under the regulations of Heat Miles. He talks about the Cytracik and the battle that has been going on for many years. He explains that the Day of Destruction was only a mean to prepare for this battle. He then holds up the Cytracik, claiming that he, the Doctor, UNIT and the revolution are going to do whatever it takes to destroy it in the next forty-eight hours.

A cheer erupts through the crowd, everyone applauding Max and looking up at him in admiration.

"He's not a bad kid, is he?" Aaron says, leaning in closer to the Doctor. "He's a great leader. Just like his father."

The Doctor sighs. "He was always looked fondly upon in Manchester." He then glances sideways at April who is sitting on a large rock next to Terry. Her eyes are faraway.

Max explains about the arena in the Island. There is a prison under one of the buildings and this is where they will lock up Rodger Barratt. What is going to happen they don't know. Max does not mention that Rodger Barratt is dying. But he tells the villagers to return to their homes and stay there. They will be informed if anything happens.

Everyone feels obliged to do as they are told and slowly start to filter away to walk home.

However, everyone else remains where they are, thinking about what is to happen next.

As the afternoon rolls on, Blake and Orion shut Rodger Barratt in a cell in the arena. A small windowless cell, not too dissimilar to the one that Monroe was locked in. However this one is not completely soundless. Rodger Barratt allows himself to be guided through the prison's hallway and shoved roughly into the cell. He doesn't even make any effort to try and escape. Instead he sits in the corner and awaits his fate.

Everyone, however, finds it hard to put their thoughts into words as they return to Jack Gruntler's house. The Doctor does notice one thing. And he is sure that he is not the only one thinking this.

April is being distant again. Only this time is not to save them.


	44. XLIII - A Final Solution

**XLIII  
A Final Solution**

_The Island  
__Conference room 0055  
__The Arena_

The rain eventually passes on and by early evening, the sun hangs low in the sky, giving the Island an orange glow. After a visit to Jack Gruntler, he suggested that they all should head to the Arena and make some use of it.

The Doctor parks the Tardis, with everyone inside, by one of the large tower blocks. He leads the way and they squeeze into two lifts inside the building. The lifts take them up to the top floor where they find a large conference room. Clearly this is something Heat Miles wanted to use if they won the battle and ruled over the Cytracik.

The walls to the conference room is made up of polished oak. Grey carpet covers the floor and there is the odd spider plant in the corner. Modern abstract art hangs on the walls. There is also a free standing whiteboard on one side. In the centre is a large oval table. However there is not enough leather chairs for everyone.

At the far end of the conference room are large windows stretching from the ceiling to the floor. Out the windows is a rather extravagant view of the Island. Down below is the Arena and then most of the Island can be seen out of the window, all the way to the cliff that separates them from the beach.

To everyone's relief, the beach Black Lighthouse is out of sight.

Everyone then gathers around the table. Without a word, April takes the seat closest to the window. There she turns her head and focuses on the view outside. Aaron carefully takes the seat directly opposite her and Will sits to her right.

Then the Doctor, Jack, Rose, Terry, Declan, Joseph, Max, Ireen, Martha, Sarah-Jane, Rex, Orion, Buddy, Kathyrn and Blake take seats around the table. When the seats are all taken, a few remain standing.

For a moment there is silence.

"There are three problems that must be discussed here today. And everything that is said in the room will not be discussed outside these walls. Is that understood?" Jack Gruntler says. There is a murmur of agreement and he carries on. "The citizens of the Island have spoken," he begins carefully, resting his palms flat on the polished surface of the table. "And they want Rodger Barratt executed and the remaining members of Heat Miles."

"But we blew up the base." Aaron says darkly.

"Rodger Barratt would not leave his whole army locked up in the base. There are still around fifty shape shifters and workers for Heat Miles dotted around this Island, including that Lucien. And so it is a wish from the villagers here who have survived this war that they should all be executed. And for Rodger Barratt's execution to be public."

"Is this a wise idea?" Rose asks after a long silence. "I mean Rodger Barratt is dying anyway."

"Unfortunately we cannot trust him to live the rest of his life without causing any more damage." The Doctor's voice is sullen as he speaks, staring down at the table.

Rose, however, glares at the Doctor, somewhat disgusted. "I don't think we should kill him though!"

"Rose..." The Doctor warns.

"No, Doctor, listen to me for once! Rodger Barratt has killed many people for this battle. So many people and species have lost their lives for what? For power? Yes we have the Cytracik now and we can keep it from Rodger Barratt. We have the chance to destroy it. But we should at least give Rodger Barratt the chance to live out the rest of his life with his family."

"However we don't know how long it will be till he dies." Martha speaks up.

"But killing Rodger Barratt will make us as bad as he is!" Rose pauses but then speaks her mind. "Martha, the one who killed Jason, would that make you a better person if you went after them to kill them out of revenge? Would Jason want you to do that?"

Silence hangs in the air one more time, however this time it is tense. Martha glares at Rose in a new light. It takes every part of Martha to not shout or run at Rose. Instead she just stares. Rose holds her eye contact before breaking away.

Aaron, however, finds himself watching April with caution. April remains sitting opposite him, her scowl ever so prominent as she just stares out the window. She does not show any sign that she may be listening to anything that is being said. She is cold and her distant and faraway look scares him.

"Okay so for now, before we come to a conclusion for that scenario, lets get to the second problem." Sarah-Jane says, desperate to break this tension.

"That will be Monroe." Jack says uneasily.

Will's head shoots up. "What is he doing?"

"Monroe wishes to rule this Island," Jack says. "He believe that it is his right."

"That's out of the question." Rex says sharply.

"He's not even control of his own mind." Terry mutters more to herself.

"Monroe thinks that he is capable enough," Jack Gruntler says calmly yet in an authoritative tone, trying to hold the peace. "And I am sure all of us can find a part in each of us that can understand where this man is coming from. I believe he wants to give this Island and its people peace. And he thinks he's up for the challenge."

"Well I don't think any of us are really up for this idea." Will snarls.

"I thought that this Island is supposed to be obliterated?" Rose says. "I thought that by the end of this battle, this Island will cease to exist."

This piece of news creates a stir amongst the remaining members of the revolution, but Terry quickly jumps in.

"The battle still isn't over. We're lucky enough to have been given forty-eight hours to destroy the Cytracik. If we fail then the twins will be killed, the Cytracik will latch onto its next victim which is Amelia Lustworve, and then this Island will be obliterated. But if we destroy the Cytracik, then the battle ends and this Island has a chance to live on."

Everyone is fully aware that Terry has not mentioned the safety of the twins once the Cytracik is destroyed. But her unspoken words are left hanging in the air.

"So..." Terry continues uneasily. "Monroe is a danger to himself."

"All those in favour of not having Monroe run the Island, please raise your hands," Jack announces and everyone raises a hand in agreement. "Unanimous. That settles it. Shall we get onto the third problem or return to the first?"

"How are we going to destroy the Cytracik?" Sarah-Jane asks.

"Yes that is our third problem." Jack whispers to himself.

"No one rules the Cytracik," Max says darkly before anyone can jump in. "The Cytracik rules them."

"Well aren't you the fun one at the party." Kathryn mutters.

Max looks up, staring directly at Jack. "Even if you have the power to open the Cytracik, it will still have full control over you. Not the other way round. April and I are prisoners under the Cytracik, but also supposedly the most powerful humans in the universe. Perhaps it should be up to us to destroy it. I've got less that forty-eight hours till this disease will kill me off. So we'd better make it work."

"And how are you two going to do that?" Martha snaps rather accusingly.

Max catches Terry's eye. He holds it for a while, and yet her blank expression proves to him that she knows. He guiltily looks away, knowing full well that everyone is staring at him and April. Right now will be a great time for April to speak up, but she continues to stare somewhat lifelessly out the window. Her scowl as harsh as ever.

"Wait," Martha says, her voice dark. "You know. You have a plan, don't you?" Her voice is a mixture of surprise and anger. "You both know how to destroy the Cytracik! Why haven't you done it yet?"

"Because April and I haven't had time to discuss it." Max says through gritted teeth. He looks helpless over to his sister, but all he can see is the back of her head.

"I think April wanted to destroy the Cytracik in the woods." Aaron says carefully, keeping a watchful eye on April, but even this comment does nothing to stir her attention.

Rose frowns. "But how are you going to do it?" She asks, fear in her voice.

Jack clears his throat. "That is something the twins will have to decide for themselves. And we have to support them."

"I don't like where this is going." Rex mumbles.

"So third problem solved. The Cytracik will be left to the twins. But let us go back to our first problem. Let's have a vote first of all. All in favour to have Rodger Barratt executed please raise your hands."

Nearly everyone's hand raises rather sheepishly, apart from the Doctor who instantly raises it high above his head. However Rose, April, Max and Martha are the only ones who do not raise their hands. Terry seems to be in two minds but she eventually raises her hand halfway. It still isn't clear if April is listening or even aware of this vote at all.

Rose shuffles in her seat when everyone lowers their hands. "It should at least be a unanimous decision."

"Rose, we don't have time!" The Doctor snaps.

"But it's not right!"

"It's right for this battle! We can't run the risk of letting him roam free. It could be years before he dies!"

Rose glares at the Doctor but then slouches in her seat, not saying anything more.

"So then it comes to this. It is to be a public execution. I suppose because the villagers on this Island don't trust us enough to kill him in private and deliver the news. They want to see it happen. They want the proof. So who is going to kill Rodger Barratt?"

There is a weird stillness in the air. Everyone is suddenly afraid to make the slightest movement. For for the few seconds that pass, no one looks at each other.

"I'll do it." April says as she turns her attention to the room for the first time.

Everyone looks at April in surprise, not expecting her voice. However April merely looks fed up.

"April, no." Will says softly, reaching for her hand, but she snaps it away as she slouches back in her seat.

There is a stir in the room as everyone seems to have something to say upon the matter, and no one seems entirely keen on the idea of April being Rodger Barratt's executioner.

"Truth is I don't think Rodger Barratt would want to be killed by anyone but me." April says, her voice dull and for a moment no one can deny her true statement.

However the Doctor starts to shout. "I object this out of hand! This idea is going from bad to worse and I will not let you do this-"

"Would you do it, Doctor?" April shouts at the Doctor, completely silencing him. "Would you be willing to shoot a man in the heart?" She awaits his reply for a few seconds, but when he just stares at her lost for words, April only rolls her eyes. "Of course you wouldn't." April then turns her attention to Aaron sitting opposite her, who only looks at her with concern. She does not break eye contact.

"Then it is settled. April Hollerford will execute Rodger Barratt." Jack Gruntler says.

And it is final.


	45. XLIV - Execution

**XLIV  
Execution**

_The Island  
__The Arena_

April finds herself sitting in a corridor to one of the buildings around the Arena. She sits on a wooden bench in silence and listens to the people outside. There is chatter, but not excited chatter. Everyone who walks past sound so solemn. However, as April sits there, staring blankly ahead, her hands resting in her lap, she can only ask herself what she is doing here. What does she think she is doing? Why did she volunteer to do this?

Her palms start to sweat. Only days before she was certain that she would kill Rodger Barratt in a heartbeat during the Day of Destruction. But now she has that chance, she starts to question whether it is a wise idea. Is Rose correct? Should she have listened to Rose while they were in the meeting?

April listened to every word that was being said in that meeting. But since she left the woods, an overwhelming sense of numbness has overcome her, and she felt like she had no need to participate in the meeting. Before the Day of Destruction, she wanted be distant to everyone to try and save them. But this time, she wants to be alone. For now she feels nothing.

But now she is here. And so is every person living on this Island. Only twenty-four hours ago, everyone was excitedly going on their way towards the woods to witness the start of the Day of Destruction. And now they are coming to this Arena, awaiting for the moment their King to be executed.

And April is unsure if she is doing the right thing.

The corridor is made out of stone walls and flooring, and a cool breeze runs through it. It isn't exactly welcoming. It is dimly lit by oil lamps and nothing else.

April nervously chews on her bottom lip, yet because her facial expression is so blank, besides her scowl, no one can tell exactly how she is feeling.

The large oak double doors to her left open with a loud creak. Light shines into the dark corridor and from the shape of the two shadows reflecting off the stone floor, April knows that the Doctor and Jack Gruntler has come to visit her.

"April," the Doctor says softly as Jack closes the door behind them, shutting out the chatter from outside. "April, please talk to us," there is pleading concern in the Doctor's voice as he walks across the corridor and kneels down on the stone flooring at her feet. "April, please." He looks up at her with his big, round brown eyes.

April only stares back for a moment before looking over his shoulder to Jack who stands a little back. "How much have you told him?" She asks accusingly.

"I haven't told him anything." Jack says calmly.

"April, I'm not stupid. I think I know what you want to do." The Doctor says quickly.

April sighs. "And what's that?"

The Doctor hesitates. "You don't need to sacrifice yourself."

April shakes her head. "What would you rather, Doctor?" She hisses. "The Cytracik to complete its job and kill me instead? Then this battle will never be at an end."

The Doctor stares at April, completely helpless. He then raises his hand and rests it over hers. "There is another way, April," He says quietly. "We can send the Cytracik back to where it came from. We can destroy it by throwing it into the black hole beside Andrymia. It just takes one little trip away from here and you'll never have to be afraid to sleep again. I promise you."

"What about the Black Lighthouse?" April asks.

"The Black Lighthouse cannot function without the Cytracik. Once the Cytracik is destroyed then the Black Lighthouse will not be anything else other than a mere shell."

April stares at Jack for a while longer, reading the expression on his face. It is clear to say that he has told the Doctor a lie. He has made the Doctor believe that this will end with April staying alive. This thought crushes April's heart. It is just like when the Doctor gave April hope that she had a chance to live in the parallel world and work for UNIT, only for him to take that away from her.

But this is different. She can't give the Doctor any hope for her survival when really all she wants to kill herself as soon as possible.

April looks down at the Doctor and then takes his hand in hers. She could tell him right now. She could tell him the thoughts that are running through her mind. That she feels like she has gone in a full circle and that she is reverting back to how she was before she met him. She could tell him now that she can't see any point in going any further. Not any more.

She could tell him now that she wants to die. Not just because it will end this battle for good and gives her brother a chance to live the rest of his life. But because she has been wanting to do this since she jumped in the river back in Manchester.

For a short time the Doctor showed her reasons to live her life as they travelled together. But even after this, she does not wish to continue with her life.

Not only does she have no choice in whether or not she is going to die from this battle. The Cytracik will kill her anyway. But right now she can see nothing past her own death.

"Talk to me, April. Please." The Doctor pleads quietly.

April takes in a shaky breath. "Everything is going to be fine." She manages to say as she squeezes his hand.

"Then it is time, April." Jack Gruntler says darkly.

April nods. Just for these next few moments, April has to stop thinking about suicide. For she has to complete the task at hand and kill Rodger Barratt.

April stands up as Jack opens the oak doors. And the moment they open, silence falls around the Arena. The brightness from the outside contrasted to how it is inside the corridor, is somewhat blinding to April. But she holds her head up high as she leaves the corridor. The Doctor only watches on helplessly.

At first the grey sky above her is so blinding she can't see anything. But then her eyes adjust and she can see the vast space of the Arena. The stalls either side of her are filled with the villages of the Island. All two and a half thousand of them squeezed together, expectantly watching April as she walks through the Arena.

At the end of the Arena where the stage is stands Monroe and the remaining members of the revolution.

And there is Rodger Barratt. He is dressed in grey rags and is being held down on his knees by Orion and Buddy. To their left is Lucien. Lucien is also dressed in grey rags and his wrists are bound together by chains, holding his arms high above his head. His matt of blond hair is a mess and there are large black circles under his eyes.

Rodger Barratt, however, watches no one but April as she approaches the stage.

She then stops and looks up at the stage, fully aware of the two and a half thousand pairs of eyes watching her every move. And yet she keeps her focus on Rodger Barratt down on his knees.

As she reaches for her gun in her belt, she suddenly thinks of her parallel father standing in the stalls and watching her. How does he feel watching his daughter murder someone he once looked at as his Major? But when her mind flickers back to the ghost of her real father, she coldly pushes her parallel father to the side.

Everyone in the Arena collectively holds onto their breath as April raises her gun and aims it to Rodger Barratt's heart.

_Now_, she thinks to herself. _Pull the trigger now_.

If she pulls the trigger now, then Rodger Barratt will be dead. She will finally be able to kill the man who has been tormenting her for so long. The man she hates. It will be a revenge for Aaron, for it was Rodger Barratt who sent him in the other dimension to be tortured. This will avenge everyone from UNIT who was killed.

But it will not avenge Jason's death. And what will it make her?

Killing Rodger Barratt now will not make April any different from Will killing Peter Bursnell.

"Come on, just do it!" Someone from the stalls yells.

April snaps to attention and rests her finger against the trigger. And yet she still hesitates.

She starts to agree with Rose saying that Rodger Barratt should not be murdered.

Her mind wonders over to Monroe and how he is volunteering to run this Island. But what difference is that going to make with his army of Nobody's. Like it was said in the meeting, he is a danger to himself. She can just imagine the horror Monroe might inflict on this Island. Jack Gruntler did say that if it's not the Daleks to have the Cytracik, it will be Monroe.

Maybe killing Rodger Barratt is not the answer. Even the look in his eyes is telling her not to. She can change this because no matter what, he is going to die anyway, Just like she is.

April makes up her mind before anyone else in the crowd can get agitated. She quickly adjusts her aim away from Rodger Barratt to elsewhere.

But there is a bang and Monroe Setzik drops down to the ground. Dead.

And April did not even pull the trigger.


	46. XLV - The right thing to do

**XLV  
The right thing to do**

_The Island  
__The Arena_

There is an outrage in the Arena as two and a half thousand people start screaming and yelling down at April. But April remains speechless as she stares at the lifeless body of Monroe Setzik, blood pouring out of his chest and staining the stage.

The remaining members of the revolution stare from April to each other in utter bewilderment.

"No." April gasps and without thinking, she aims her gun to Rodger Barratt and pulls the trigger. Yet the gun merely clicks. April quickly realises that someone had purposefully emptied her gun before she came here. So someone else was willing to do the execution instead of her. Only someone with the same mind as her would do this.

As Lucien cackles loudly, yelling that no one would be able to kill the King, April turns around.

Max stands there looking rather pale, yet there is a dark shadow that flickers across his face. Max killed Monroe.

For a moment, April can think of nothing to do but stare at her brother. Why would he do this when she was the one who volunteered to kill Rodger Barratt in the first place?

That is when people start to jump down from the stalls and run to the stage like an angry mob. April drops her gun to the ground and suddenly falls to her knees, her hands shaking like mad. The next few moments seem like a blur to her, for she cannot think straight.

All she is aware of is the appearance of the Doctor, Terry and Rose by her side, urgently pulling her and Max away from the scene. She manages to turn around to look at the angry mob, but she catches Jack Gruntler's eye immediately.

What happened is a shock to everyone, but just from the look from Jack Gruntler, it was the right thing to do.

* * *

The next thing April is aware of is being shut in the spare bedroom to Jack Gruntler's house with Max. The curtains have been drawn so the twins are shut in dim lighting. It does not take long for the rest of UNIT and the revolution to turn up, everyone slightly bemused. And yet there is a hint of understanding in their voices. Almost like they all know that killing Monroe was the right thing to do.

"At least it's one less thing for us to worry about in terms of the life on this Island." Terry says.

"But we still have no leader." Katheryn mumbles.

Lucien died in the angry mob from the villagers. Too many people clambered onto the stage to get to Rodger Barratt. He was caught in the flow and ended up being trampled on. Rodger Baratt, however, has been put under house arrest with his family.

"What the hell do we do now?" Rex snaps. And then there is silence from downstairs.

April sits on the floor with her back up against the wardrobe. Max perches on the end of the bed but eventually decides to sit next to April. They both look at the drawn curtains and can see the way it is getting darker outside. Then seconds later, it starts to pour down with rain outside.

"Why did you do it?" April whispers after a long while.

"I wasn't going to let you be the murderer." Max says softly.

April pulls her knees up. "You knew I was going to do it though. Kill Monroe. Didn't you?"

Max sighs. "I guess so. The moment you faltered, I knew that you didn't have it in you to kill Rodger Barratt, no matter what you say. But then I thought of Jason and how Monroe killed him. And then I realised that now the Daleks are destroyed, Monroe can still hold the power over the Cytracik. It wasn't your fault but letting Monroe rule this Island is like letting Rodger Barratt roam free. So I killed him for you. Because I knew you had it in you to do that. But I didn't want you to."

"I'm expecting us to be put on court martial or something. That was murder not an execution."

With that, Max takes his sister's hand. "We'll do this together. We'll go down fighting."

"The Daleks are still in the Cytracik?" April asks dully.

Max shrugs. "I assume so. They'll die with the Cytracik once we..." Max falters. Not because he can't admit what they have to do, but because someone runs up the stairs.

Will Sullivan appears in the doorway, looking rather worn for wear. There is silence in the room as April and Will just stare at each other. Will looking rather afraid.

"I'd best leave you to it." Max says softly. He kisses April on the head before standing up. He walks over to Will and looks at him in such a way like he is sizing Will up. Max then turns to look at April and points a finger at her. "Don't think about going anywhere." And then he leaves.

For a moment April avoids Will's eye as he steps into the room. But Will takes both her hands and pulls her onto her feet.

"What are you doing?" April asks as she stands on both her feet, letting Will hold both her hands in his.

"I need you to be truthful to me before I'll lose my mind," Will hesitates before he goes to close the bedroom door, shutting out any lighting from the hallway. "How are you and Max going to destroy the Cytracik?"

April shakes her head. "Will, no"

"You told my father. Jack knows. And the Doctor can sense it. But I don't know. Max has a plan but I don't think you have the same plan as he does," Will slowly advances on her, registering the look of pure guilt on her face. "You are keeping yourself distant from us."

"I'm not." April insists as she folds her arms across her chest.

"You are, April. You are pushing me away. At first you did it to protect me. But this time it's different. You're not you."

"If I told you then you would try to stop me." April mumbles.

Will hesitates.

"You're going to have me dead both ways, Will," April can't tell whether or not she wants to cry, but no tears form anyway. "If I don't do this then I will be killed by the Cytracik and so will Max. If I don't do this, the Doctor will die. And this universe will never be rid of the Cytracik. And the only way to fully end this battle is to create a paradox..."

"To destroy the thing the Cytracik wants to destroy." Will nods as he chokes on his words.

"You do understand?"

Will nods again. "What did my father say?"

April hesitates as she looks at Will. "He begged me not to."

That is when Will starts to sob. He presses the heels of his hands into his eyes as he wails. April however does not go to comfort him. Instead she stands there, rubbing her arms as she watches him. Yet she still can't find it in her to cry.

"I was going to ask you to marry me," Will admits after a while. "I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you! I was thinking about taking you home. Asking you to be my wife..."

April shakes her head, not wanting to let his words change her mind. "I wanted that too, Will! But this is different. We could never have that life. You're supposed to be dead in my world. We were never supposed to meet. I still fell in love with you but it was never meant to be."

Will rubs his eyes. "What about Max?"

"Max knows what we have to do but I'm giving him the chance to live the rest of his life. If I do this then he'll be safe, at least."

"Who are you doing this for, April?"

"Myself," April whispers. "I've tried and failed many times before. But now I can't fail. I have to do this. It's the only way. Please understand me."

"I do."

April suddenly feels uncomfortable. "Declan made a sleeping potion, didn't he?"

Will nods. "It only lasts twenty-four hours. He used to give it to us during training to make sure that we all got enough sleep between each session."

"Suppose we could give some to Max? Or anyone else who might try to stop me."

"The Doctor?" Will says bitterly.

"He deserves an explanation."

There is another pause of silence and Will steps towards April. However April's immediate reaction is to step back. Will whimpers.

"Please." He begs softly.

April bites her tongue and allows Will to stand near her. She closes her eyes and breathes in his scent. For what will be the last time. She feels him touch her. He takes hold of her arms. His hands warm. His face close to hers, but she keeps her eyes closed.

"I love you, Will," she whispers. "And I wouldn't have changed it for the world," she opens her eyes and takes both his hands in hers. "You've got to promise me to keep going. You had a life before I came along and you can keep going."

"I can't." Will weeps.

"Please," April squeezes both his hands. "I know the effect this will have on everyone else. But you will all move on."

Will and April are silent for a moment as they listen to each other's breathing.

"Spend the night with me." Will asks, his voice breaking.

"There's not enough time." April insists, scared that spending more time with Will might just stop her from doing this.

"It's enough time. Just one night. And I'll let you go."

April opens her eyes and looks up at Will. His face wet with tears. Then without another moments hesitation, April leans up and kisses him hard. Will wraps his arms around April and holds her against his body, afraid to let go.

They kiss vigorously and gently fall back onto the bed.

A few hours later and they are under the covers, undressed and tangled in each other's arms. They lie there in silence. April rests her head on Will's bare chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"I'll leave in the morning," April says softly. "I'll leave when no one is looking."

"Shall I give Max the potion?" Will asks after a moment.

April pauses. "No," she whispers. "Jack will have done it already."

"What?"

"He is the one who knows all. He probably knows what I plan to do and will have done it already. I'm sure Max is asleep somewhere."

Will's hold on April tightens and with that, they both fall soundly asleep.


	47. XLVI - Taking the fall

**XLVI  
Taking the fall**

_The Island  
__Outside the woods_

The world seems different to April. The sky is covered in grey clouds like it has been since she arrived, and there is still a slight chill in the air as the wind blows. Everything is just how it has been, however it all seems so different.

The second dawn arrives, April manages to leave Jack Gruntler's house without being noticed by anyone. She takes Will's gun and leaves, leaving him to sleep. However he awakes and watches her go. Yet the second she passes through the bedroom doors, she does not walk out into the hallway, but she finds herself on top of the cliff. The Tardis only steps away.

A shiver runs down April's spine as she can just about see the top of the Black Lighthouse over the edge of the cliff to her left. The sound of the waves can be heard. But April dares not to step close enough to the edge to see the beach. She does not need to see the beach one last time before her death.

The Tardis looks as welcoming as ever. She can feel the ship calling for her, inviting her to come inside. And so she does. She walks towards the Tardis and pushes open the wooden door.

The console room looks exactly same as it always does and the Tardis gives out friendly rumble. April slowly closes the door behind her and makes her way along the metal flooring towards the console. When she eventually reaches the console, she hesitates for a moment before she leans forward and places a gentle hand on the green tube spurting out the centre of the console. As she does this, the green lights brighten ever so slightly and the Tardis rumbles once more.

For the next few moments as April walks around the console, admiring everything about it, she starts to wonder why the Doctor never used the Tardis more often. In the sense that whenever they landed in a fight or trouble, why did he never jump into the Tardis, go back a few hours or more to stop it from happening? She quickly realises that it must be something to do with being stuck in a timeline. Yet the Doctor always taught April that time is never linear. Something can go back in time and rewrite events. It is only the Battle of the Cytracik that cannot be rewritten. And that is why April knows she has to do what she has to do.

The Tardis rumbles again. Not in a comforting way like normal, but more in such a way like the ship is trying to tell her something. April, however, does not think twice before turning around. The console chair is behind her, and lying on top is the Time Book she found in the library in Antarctica.

April picks up the book and flicks through the pages, briefly seeing the written conversations she used to have with the Tardis. Unfortunately since she came to the Island, these conversations have stopped. But when April flicks to the last empty page, words immediately start to appear.

_The Black Lighthouse will be nothing more than an empty shell after this. And so will the Cytracik. The Island will not be obliterated. It will live on._

April reads the words on the pages a few times before closing the book. Her actions are slow, lazy and somewhat lifeless. She drops the book back onto the chair as if throwing it to one side before turning back to the Tardis console once more.

The Tardis stops humming. And there is only silence.

April allows herself to remember all the memories she has had in this ship. Yet the one that sticks out the most is her first encounter inside this ship. The Doctor was hoping her to comment on the fact it is bigger on the inside. Yet this fact didn't really surprise her. She was more questioning about the fact that the Doctor pushes the doors open when it clearly says to pull.

She glances down at the glowing console, her eyes fixing on a black leaver. Right beside it, hidden cleverly amongst all the green light is a small dial. Without thinking twice about it, April twists the dial.

At first there is nothing, and then there is the Doctor's voice.

"This is emergency program 0.00505. This is not the same as emergency program one where it means that I must be against an enemy. I repeat this is emergency program 0.00505. And if this is triggered than it can only mean that we have lost the Battle of the Cytracik."

Startled by the sound of the Doctor's voice, April slowly makes her way around the console. Standing on the other side, looking directly to the doors is the Doctor. The moment she sees him, April stops mid step, her heart pounding in her chest.

The Doctor looks straight ahead as he speaks and every so often, his body flickers like an image. April quickly realises that it is only a hologram of the Doctor and that he is not actually there with her. April, still staring at the hologram of the Doctor, slowly approaches him. She walks around so that she is standing directly in front of him. His eyesight looks at her, not in the eyes but somewhere on her forehead. April remembers the first time meeting the Doctor as he showed up as a small hologram in her garden.

"The only people who know of this trigger will be Terry, Colonel Aaron Brimikawood, or Jack Gruntler. But the Colonel is dead so the other two will probably have triggered this. To clarify I have recorded this message the day the Battle of the Cytracik started. Declan Hollerford was powerful enough to open the Cytracik. This ended in himself and his wife, Suzette, being killed by the Daleks. The consequence of the Cytracik is not clear. But Declan has asked me to save April and to look after her. Maxwell is nowhere in sight.

"But there is more to this message. The only reason why this message can be triggered is if we have lost the Battle. The shape shifters have won. And I am dead. Or at least about to die. The truth is if I die during the battle, I cannot regenerate. Time can erase itself but it cannot heal during this. But that's okay. I just hope that everyone else is still alive when I die.

"The only thing I ask of is five things. Very simple. But just five. The first is to send Rose Tyler home and keep her there. Perhaps erase her memory. Send Rose Tyler back to the Powell State in London. Back to her mother, Jackie Tyler. Whether or not you erase her memory is up to whoever triggered this message. If her memory of me or this battle will put her in danger as a target to the universe, then save her by letting her forget me.

"Secondly, I want you to find April Hollerford if I have not done so already. If I have then make sure she is okay. Make sure that she is happy and that she can live her life away from the Cytracik. I fear that what her father has done, it will affect her and Maxwell. She has a home in a cul-de-sac in Wandworth, south-west London. She will be safe there. Just keep her alive.

"The third thing is the Tardis. If I'm dead then the Tardis will not be able to function properly, unless there is someone else who can fly my ship. As far as I am aware there is no one. So for me, send it to Jack Gruntler. If you are Jack, then keep it," the Doctor then chuckles slightly. "Lock the door and let my ship to die. Bury it in your garden or use it as decoration. Whatever you fancy, Jack. The Tardis has a trick that nothing in the universe can find it. Aliens and human will walk past it but won't even give it a mere glance.

"The fourth thing is to never stop fighting to end this battle. There will be moments in the universe where nothing is happening and it seems that nothing is going for the Cytracik. But we're at the stage now where the news about the Cytracik and its power will have spread across the universe. Unfortunately I don't know what the shape shifter's plans are, but I am sure that they are preparing for something big. So please do whatever you can to destroy it. And I have to admit that even I don't know how to destroy it. But I believe in you to find out,

"And finally," the Doctor shifts his eyes so that he is looking directly into April's. "April Hollerford. We have had fun together," it is as if he is talking directly to her, like he knows that she is there. "I want you to be happy and I am so sorry if I never helped with that. You deserve the stars. You deserve to love. Please don't ever take the blame on yourself."

And with that, the Doctor's holographic image fades away.

April finds herself blindly walking through the village, heading towards the woods, not really thinking about what she is doing. Once again, April feels numb. But she lets her feet carry her through the streets.

Every so often flecks of rain fall on her skin. The sky seems to get darker as the morning passes, but April keeps walking.

Where would be a good place to die?

The question flies around April's mind for a while. Her first instinct is to return to the Black Lighthouse. But going there might put her in danger of being killed by the Cytracik. Instead she finds herself trudging towards the woods.

She eventually reaches the low wooden fence that runs along the perimeter of the field where the festival was only days before. And ignoring the main entrance, April climbs over the fence just like she did the first time she came here. She feels herself pass through the force field which still surrounds the woods.

The moment she is inside the field, the world outside is suddenly silenced.

The woods before her loom like ghosts. Memories of the Day of Destruction pass through her mind. She remembers running with Jason and his dislocated shoulder. She remembers fighting with Ellis before he was killed off. And then Morgarn. And then the ghosts of her parents...

Briefly, April closes her eyes and wishes her parents to be here with her. But then she feels it. She opens her eyes and there are no ghosts in sight, but it is as if their presence is there with her right now.

April shakes her head and slowly starts to walk through the field, almost feeling her parents follow her.

However, she only takes a few steps before she can hear a car driving at fast speed. Confused, April turns around and finds a red Ford Fiesta screeching to a halt outside the woods.

And then out steps the Doctor, followed by Terry.

The Doctor looks utterly panicked, almost as if he has been desperately trying to get something. But then he notices April standing in the field and relaxes a little.

"There you are!" The Doctor calls as he strides up to her. Terry, however, hangs back, very unsure. She folds her arms and hangs around by the car. She knows.

April hastily hides Will's gun in her back jean pocket and pulls down her red t-shirt to cover it.

"You scared me," the Doctor says, his voice forcefully light as he reaches her. "Aaron said something to me and I thought that you were..." the Doctor trails off as he tries to study April's scowl. "Is everything alright?" He asks carefully.

"Fine," April responds. "I mean it's as good as it gets."

The Doctor offers a small smile. "Anyway I was talking to Rose about destroying the Cytracik. I'll take you and Max to the black hole by Andrymia to send the Cytracik away."

"You really think that's going to work?"

The Doctor looks a little startled. "Well of course it is. It's the only way!" the Doctor then frowns. "Although Max seems to be in a deep sleep. We couldn't wake him."

April shakes her head. "He won't wake for a while." She whispers, her words inaudible.

"April, what?" The Doctor can't hear her.

"Sleeping potion," April says quickly. "He's taken a sleeping potion. He needs the sleep."

The Doctor stares at April for a while. His head cocked at a slight angle as he studies her face. There is something up. He knows it. But she isn't going to do what he dreads.

"I was also talking to Rose about where we're going to go next," the Doctor's voice is naively hopeful but it is clear that he is trying to keep his cool at the same time. "I was hoping to take you to the planet Dryaka. Rose has never been but it's fantastic. They have seas that stretch for miles and twice a day, the sea completely freezes over. You can walk over it. Oh and at night the stars in the sky are unbelievable. Nothing that you have ever seen before, April! You know, I feel like I haven't shown you enough of the universe yet. You've seen planet Zorlon and the fly market but there is so much more out there. I once took Rose to Barcelona. Not the city but the planet. Utterly brilliant and Rose loved it. I think you would too," the Doctor forces a grin and April can only helplessly stare at him. "But I think Dryaka is the next stop. And then we can fly to the galaxy Founda. It's a very small galaxy with hardly any planets. The galaxy is mainly overcome with black holes but there is this fascinating planet I'll take you to. What was it called? Floom? Or was it Koom? I can't remember but it's just brilliant. How would that sound? John Smith, Jackie Orman, Tiffany Jenner and Ms Robinson going on another adventure."

April nods. "So you're going to go there?"

The Doctor nods. "Well once the Cytracik is destroyed there is a lot of weight off our shoulders. I'll have the freedom to take you anywhere without this constant anxiety." He pats his chest, just where is heart is an for a very short moment, April suddenly feels guilty. She has brought so much anxiety to the Doctor because of the Cytracik.

"I'm certain this anxiety will go away for sure."

The Doctor looks at her quizzically. "Are you up for this trip of a lifetime, April Hollerford? Max is more than welcome to come along."

"I wish I could be," April forces a smile which does not reach her eyes. "The only problem is that I'm supposed to be saving your life as much as you're saving mine. Fact is you've already saved mine. Now I've got to save yours."

The Doctor and April look at each other for a while. For a second the Doctor holds his forced smile but it slowly drops as he looks at April. Then April places her hands on the Doctor's shoulders, reaches up and softly kisses him on the forehead. Then without another word, she takes slow steps away from the Doctor, not breaking their eye contact. The Doctor looks at her bemused and scared.

But she then draws out Will's gun.

"April, no!" The Doctor cries, running towards her, but April holds out her hand to stop him.

"Doctor, please hear me out. I'm saving your life here because if I don't do this then you will die and I can't let that happen."

"April, you don't know what you are doing."

"I'm doing what I failed to do when I was fourteen. If I succeeded then this battle would have been over years ago. But the truth is, no matter what, I will take the fall for you. This is my choice so don't ever blame yourself. Like you said in emergency protocol 0.00505."

April's words hit the Doctor like a bullet. His mouth is dry and he cannot form the words he wants to say.

"Doctor, I cannot thank you enough. The reason why Bruce couldn't kill me in those five years of living together was because of you and the trust my father had in you. But you saved me, Doctor. You saved my life from that shape shifter, and because of you, I have spent the last four or so years living a life that I temporarily loved. I was happy. You brought me UNIT. You brought me the stars, Doctor. You brought me back my brother. You showed me a way of living my life. But it's not going to last."

"April, you can't!" The Doctor cries.

"I have to. If I don't then you will die. The Cytracik will kill Max and I and it will latch onto Amelia. The universe will never be the same. But doing this will mean the end of the Cytracik forever. Doctor, I love you enough to do this. I'm saving your life because I can't risk losing you."

The Doctor shakes his head. He knows she is correct but he won't admit it.

"April," the Doctor says as he manages to pull himself together. "Just lower the gun. Please. And come here. We can sort this out. You got better. You overcame those demons. You stopped wanting to hurt yourself. Don't let those demons take over your mind again," the Doctor then carefully reaches out his hand. "Pass me the gun and we can leave here. We'll send the Cytracik into the black hole."

"Do you really believe Jack when he told you that?" April hisses.

The Doctor is on the brink of tears. "I should have never been so cold. I pushed you away. It's my fault."

"Don't you dare blame this on yourself, Doctor!" April snaps. "I have chosen to do this because I can't keep going on. You saved me, and that is what matters the most. I love you, Doctor. I love you like I do Rose, Terry, Will, my family and everyone from UNIT. And as fucked up this sounds, I am doing this for you. I'm saving your life."

"April, please," the Doctor chokes. "Don't do this."

"Just remember me, okay?" April takes another step back, wanting there to be some distance between herself and the Doctor. Then holding Will's gun in her left hand, she raises it to her temple. She breathes in steadily. Out the corner of her eye, far behind the Doctor, she can see Terry standing by the car, unmoving.

The Doctor stands there, slightly hunched over with his hand still stretched out towards her. He looks helpless and terrified at the same time. His mouth hangs open as if he is silently screaming.

"Goodbye, my love." April says, her voice being carried away by the wind.

And then she pulls the trigger.


	48. XLVII - Endings and new beginnings

**XLVII  
Endings and new beginnings**

_The Island  
__Outside the woods_

The Black Lighthouse erupts into an explosion. The light beams at the top of the lighthouse shatters and bursts out in glass and smoke. The void vanishes like it was never there in the first place. And then there is nothing left but an empty shell of the lifeless Black Lighthouse.

The explosion of the Black Lighthouse is so deafeningly loud, it echoes over the tops of the cliff and across the whole Island. And for a few moments, everyone is in silence, not knowing what and where the explosion came from. However, for everyone in Jack Gruntler's residence, it only takes them a few seconds to understand what has happened.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Martha shouts. Rose sits by the sleeping Max on the sofa and covers her mouth with a hand, stifling a sob. Aaron stares out the window, looking in the general direction of where the woods are. Joseph, nearly loses his balance and grips onto the back of a dining chair for support.

That's when Will's cries of grief can be heard from upstairs. And immediately everyone realises what has happened.

Rose glances over to the Cytracik sitting on the table. It merely fizzes as if the horrific contents of the inside is slowly disintegrating.

The wind around the Island starts to blow heavily as if the remains of the Black Lighthouse is blowing away.

The Doctor stands in the exact same hunched over position, a hand reaching out to April. But all he sees is April's lifeless body lying on the ground. The gun flung from her hand and laying in the grass not too far away. Her eyes are still open and yet there isn't even a hint of a scowl upon her brow.

The Doctor's body shakes vigorously with grief. His mouth still hanging open in utter despair.

There is a rush of people and a hum of voices. Faces the Doctor does not recognise come over to the scene. Some crouch down to April's body, announcing that there has been a suicide and that help is needed immediately. And then the Doctor falls to his knees, not even able to scream.

He pushes the heel of his hands into his eyes, trying to blot out the image of seeing April kill herself right before him. The grass beneath him is slightly wet with early morning dew, but he does not care for the mud that starts to seep through his brown trousers.

The voices around him buzz like bees in a hive. But then a voice he recognises speaks softly in his ear.

"Go to her, Doctor."

Terry gives the Doctor a slight push and he removes his hands from his face. There are around ten people blocking his view from April and this makes him a little angry. Dazed and almost drunk, the Doctor gets back on his feet and makes his way back to April.

"Let me see her, please." He says repetitively, trying to push through the crowd. People however try to push him away, but he keeps repeating the same five words. He is pushed away and yet he eventually reaches April.

The Doctor falls to his knees again and the voices around him continue to buzz. But she is there. April Hollerford lying lifelessly in the grass with a bloody bullet wound in the side of her head. His vision slightly blurs as his head spins. The Doctor reaches for her wrist and feels for her pulse. But of course there is nothing.

April Hollerford is dead.

* * *

"I used to sing her _Oranges and Lemons_ when she couldn't sleep at night," Joseph says quietly. "The same with Maxwell." He sits at the dining room table. Declan by his side.

Ireen, who's face is paler than normal, her lips pursed tightly together, walks around the house, giving everyone a cup of hot camomile tea. Aaron, however, went upstairs to comfort his son. The both of them remain upstairs in silence.

"So that's why we always heard the song," Rose wonders aloud and everyone turns their attention to her. "Since April joined us in the Tardis, no matter where we were in the universe, we would always hear that song."

"It was a subtle way to remind the twins that their grandfather is still alive." Jack Gruntler says darkly.

Rose shakes her head. "We never saw it."

Jack walks carefully across the living room. "The Battle of the Cytracik is over," Jack, who is holding onto the Cytracik, throws it onto the table, letting it make a hollow clatter. "It is nothing more than an empty shell. It's now just a piece of junk. As is the Black Lighthouse. April knew what she was doing. She knew that the only way to destroy the Cytracik was to kill the thing it was after. To create a paradox."

"She knew from the start," Sarah-Jane says, her voice breaking with grief. "When she was fourteen, she knew that the world would be better off with her dead."

Jack sighs. "The world is never better off with someone dead. She was a depressed child who saw nothing but her death. Unfortunately killing herself was her only option."

"Don't say that!" Ireen snaps.

There is a beat before Jack turns and walks over to the sofa before turning to look at everyone else. "You all must not blame yourself for this. Don't think that because of the way you may have treated her, or an argument you had, resulted in her suicide, because it didn't. She wanted this for years. She would have done it anyway. And even if she didn't do it, the Cytracik would win and she would be dead by tomorrow," Jack looks from one person to the next. "Each and every one of you gave her the happiness she never had before. So you are not to blame. She killed herself to save everyone. That is all she ever wanted. And she saved the universe."

There is a long silence. Everyone seems to wait for the Doctor and Terry to come back. But it has been two and a half hours since the whole Island heard the Black Lighthouse explode. Two and a half hours since April killed herself. Two and a half hours of Jack Gruntler trying to reassure everyone that it was meant to be.

Suddenly Max stirs on the sofa and his eyes flicker open.

Immediately, Rose jumps to her feet and rushes to him. She kneels down on the wooden floor so that she is level with him. She searches his face, just in case he has felt anything from April's suicide, but he only looks lost and confused.

Max scowls, just like April always did. His eyes scan over Rose before he looks at everyone else in the room. A deathly silence. Everyone's face looking rather pale and grey. Rose's bloodshot eyes and smudged make-up from crying.

However it only takes him to inhale deeply to understand what has happened. For his lungs are clear. He is free from his disease. And because of his loss, all he can feel is emptiness.

"Max." Rose says softly as he starts groping at his neck, taking long gulps of air, unable to believe that he can finally breathe properly.

And then he starts to wail.

* * *

The Doctor slowly trudges through the fog at the top of the cliff. He does not remember much after he accepted that April is dead. Someone eventually covered her lifeless body over with a large blue table cloth. And he was briefly aware of her body being taken to the empty hospital. But the next thing the Doctor knows is that he is walking away, back towards the Tardis.

He probably should return to Jack Gruntler's residence to inform everyone of the news, but he assumes that they must all know by now. He didn't even pay much attention to the explosion of the Black Lighthouse when that bullet pierced April's skull, knocking out every inch of life in her.

But right now the Doctor is overcome with a sense of numbness. Not only does he ask himself if this is what April felt most of the time, he also asks himself how has it come to this. He saved her life by taking her away from Bruce, and she saved his life killing herself and officially ending the Battle of the Cytracik. The Doctor knows that now the Cytracik is nothing more than a mere empty box, just like the Black Lighthouse is just a shell that will never flash again.

The Battle of the Cytracik is over. A battle that has been occurring for years has finally reached its end. And yet the Doctor no longer cares about it.

Eventually the mist on top of the cliff slowly starts to fade as he gets closer to the other end of the beach, where he is expecting to hear the waves and see the Black Lighthouse.

In a matter of seconds, the Doctor steps out of the mist. The Tardis stands there watching him. The sound of the waves below fills his ears. They are slow and steady. However sitting at the edge of the cliff with his legs dangling over the edge, is Lieutenant Will Sullivan. He is smoking a cigarette.

For a moment the Doctor halts and looks at Will and the way his curly blond hair blows in the breeze. And then the Doctor is angry for he realises that Will must have known that April was going to kill herself.

He takes a step forward, wanting to take it out on Will. It is his fault. He should have told someone. They could have stopped her. How can he claim that he loves April and let her kill herself?

However the Doctor stops mid step, realising that all his thoughts are just part of his grief. Of course it isn't Will's fault. It's no ones fault. And as awful as it is to admit it, what April did was what was meant to happen. All of a sudden the Doctor feels sorry. He feels sorry for Will to have lost someone he loves. He feels sorry for April to have wanted to kill herself when she was fourteen. There is no one to blame for this.

Before the Doctor knows it, bile starts to rise up through his throat. He bends over and immediately starts to retch onto the muddy grass. It is so unlike him.

Will jumps at the sound of retching and turns around only to find the Doctor, his face grey as he doubles over, clutching onto his stomach.

"Jesus Christ," Will mutters before putting out his cigarette and getting onto his feet. "Doctor!" he calls as he runs to him.

The Doctor shivers as he vomits the last of the bile coming out of his throat. Will holds back for a moment, surveying the Doctor. He does not speak until the Doctor rests his hands on his knees, breathing in and out deeply. The Doctor then wipes the remains of his vomit from his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You saw her do it, didn't you?" Will asks, his voice low and weak.

The Doctor looks up at Will, gasping, and nods.

Will sighs before glancing over to the Tardis. He then holds his arm out to the Doctor. "Come."

The Doctor eventually stands up again and follows Will. In silence, they both sit back down in the grass and hang their legs over the edge of the cliff. The wind on the edge seems a little harsher than it does further inland. But they both stare out at the Black Lighthouse. Black smoke is still rising into the air, but it slowly fizzes out.

"Why don't you just run?" Will asks after a while. "Why don't you just jump into the Tardis and move on? The battle is over."

"I was thinking the same thing. But this time moving on isn't quite as easy." the Doctor replies.

Both Will and the Doctor continue to stare out to the Black Lighthouse as they speak. Long pauses of silence between them.

"Jack says that April's body should be cremated," Will says, his voice flat and bland. "If we bury her then some species will try and dig her up in attempt to bring back the Cytracik. It won't work but it'll be an insult to her memory."

The Doctor eventually looks over to Will, seeing him in a different light for the first time. "Are you okay?"

Will lowers his eyes down to his hands in his lap. Without realising, he has been picking at his nails. There are spots of dried blood over his fingers. "I'm fine," Will says before looking at the Doctor. "It was never going to last. Me and her. What with the laws of parallel universes and all that," he studies the Doctor's troublesome face for a second. "How about you?"

The Doctor doesn't respond. Instead he glances back to the Black Lighthouse. Will sighs before looking back down at his bloodied fingers.

"I never deserved her love."

The Doctor frowns and looks at Will again. "Don't you dare say that. Don't think you never deserved her love. There was no one she loved more than you."

Will looks blankly over to the waves and then scowls. "You wouldn't be saying that if she weren't dead."

The Doctor hesitates for a second. "April knew how much I never liked you. How in her world we never connected. You didn't like me and I you. She knew that she was in love with someone who was supposed to be dead. But that didn't stop her. And that didn't stop you from fighting to get back to her," the Doctor shuffles awkwardly. "For April, I'm trying to make amends here," he hesitates again as if he is struggling to get the words out. "I'm sorry, Will. I am so, so sorry."

For a second Will continues to scowl at the waves, but then he turns to look at the Doctor and forces a smile. "I'm sorry too."

In that instant, both the Doctor and Will relax in each other's company.

"So what are we going to do about Rodger Barratt?" Will asks. "Are we to execute him?"

The Doctor's head then shoots up as he remembers something. Who was the one person who hated Rodger Barratt as much as April did, if not more?

Brigadier Aaron Brimikawood.


	49. XLVIII - To end all battles

**XLVIII  
To end all battles**

_The Island  
__Rodger Barratt's mansion_

It's early evening. The sun has hidden behind the horizon and the sky is dark. Insects click and buzz in the hedges and occasionally an owl hoots. Rodger Barratt's mansion looks quieter than normal. The fountain is no longer running and the garden lights have been switched off. The mansion is clear of any shape shifters standing guard.

But a dark figure, clasping a gun in both his hands, treads purposefully down the gravel pathway and climbs the stairs. Aaron does not take his eyes off the front door as he climbs. But the moment he reaches the top of the stairs, he does not try to enter the mansion through the front door. Instead he turns right and starts to walk along the veranda.

Keeping to the shadows, Aaron makes no sound as he walks. He slowly peers around each corner of the mansion and scans the garden around him, just to make sure that he is alone here.

To his luck, he finds the windows at the back of the mansion that leads to the large room where the party was held. The glass is still smashed from when the Cybermen crashed the party. Even now after everything that has happened, that party feels like a lifetime ago. But without a second thought, Aaron easily steps through one of the windows, crunching on shattered glass on the floor.

However, the mansion still remains silent.

The large room, which is now empty, seems ten time larger than it did at the party when there were many people mulling around. But it is dark, No light shines into the room.

Aaron slowly starts to walk through the empty room, heading towards the exit door and making sure that his footfalls are quiet. Luckily, he reaches the door and manages to prise it open. Once the door is open a crack, orange light seeps into the darkness. For a second, Aaron hangs back and peers through crack. He can see out into the light entrance hall, but there doesn't seem to be anyone else around.

Pulling the door wide open, allowing the orange light to fill part of the empty room, Aaron scans the entrance hall, holding his gun at aim as he looks at every corner. He tiptoes across, making sure that he is truly alone.

When the coast is clear, he starts to walk down a corridor which is dimly lit. He walks with precision, keeping his ears peeled, listening to the quiet voices muttering down the corner.

Aaron's eyes darken, as he takes very slow and cautious steps down the corridor, his gun still raised.

Suddenly there are footsteps and before Aaron knows it, a woman, dressed up in a white uniform and a black apron, steps out of one of the side rooms. She is carrying a pile of plates. Once she sees Aaron, she gasps in shock and nearly drops the plates to the tiled floor.

Aaron finds himself standing near Darcy, the cook Terry met back at the party. Darcy's eyes are full of fear as she looks down at Aaron's gun. She seems to be frozen to the spot, but she does not show any sign that she is going to yell for guards or something. Probably because she realises that there is no point. Rodger Barratt has lost.

Aaron looks to the open doorway at the end of the hallway and starts to walk on, ignoring Darcy's short, sharp breaths and the way the plates rattle in her trembling hands. He walks on in silence and passes her. He then steps through the open doorway and finds himself in a large, very overly decorated with old paintings and statues, dining room. And in the centre of the room is a polished oak, oval shaped dining table. Sitting at the table, eating dinner is a weak Rodger Barratt, his wife and his children.

For a second, Aaron hesitates as he watches this family eating their food. Something so simple and natural. But this does not stop him. He starts to sneak up behind them, his footsteps as silent as ever. They are unaware that he is there with them until he speaks and steps out from the shadows.

"Enjoying your last feast?" Aaron says darkly once he is close enough to them, standing in the light.

Immediately Rodger Barratt's family jump to their feet in fright. Rodger Barratt, however remains sitting down. He continues to eat his meal. A large, bloodied steak.

"It's alright," Rodger Barratt says calmly and matter-of-factly. "Everything is going to be okay."

His family, however, looks terrified. The children look from their parents to Aaron, too scared to move. Rodger Barratt's wife refuses to look at Aaron. She trembles in utter terror, looking like she might cry any second for she knows what is to happen.

"Go on, eat," Aaron suggests firmly, but kindly to the children. "I do not wish to disturb your feast. I just have some unfinished business to attend to with your father."

"Sit down." Rodger Barratt orders as he cuts through the middle of his steak and slowly his children do as they are told. But they do not touch their food. They just stare at Aaron who sits with them. Rodger Barratt's wife sits very stiffly, clutching onto the sides of her chair as if her life depends on it.

Aaron sits down very relaxed in his seat, watching Rodger Barratt eat his meal.

"How much do your children know?" Aaron asks coolly.

Rodger Barratt, who is about to fill his mouth with steak, stops and glances over to his children. One of them is already silently crying.

"Not enough?"

"Please, spare them," Rodger Barratt whispers in a beg as he lowers his fork. "They're just innocent children."

Aaron raises an eyebrow, completely unfooled by his act of pretend innocence. "Just as innocent as the many people forced to volunteer for your race? There's a lot of food on your table. Far more than the people you claim to care about will have."

Rodger Barratt leans back in his seat and carefully dabs at his mouth with a napkin. "Can you speak the Andrymian language? All shape shifters do."

"I believe I can."

Rodger Barratt looks mildly impressed. "The Doctor taught you?"

Aaron stares, his eyes burning with hatred. "The Doctor taught me to speak many alien languages. More than you know."

A sly smirk appears on Rodger Barratt's face. "Impressive," he then speaks in the Andrymian language which is fast and harsh. "_Then we shall talk business in Andrymian_."

"_Talk away."_

Rodger Barratt surveys Aaron. "_What you have to understand, Brigadier, is that everything I did was never personal._"

"_Then why did you take me away from my army and shut me in that other dimension?"_

"_Because I thought it was for the best."_

"_For the best for you or for me?"_

"_For you."_

Both Rodger Barratt and Aaron try to keep the tone of their voices calm and collective so not to scare his family any more.

"_I met the Devil there." _Aaron growls.

"_And so you would."_

"_He threatened me that he would go after the Doctor. And that is what he did. He tortured me. I was left in a cold place in total darkness. There was nothing I could see. I was enclosed in some small box that wouldn't allow me to move. And every second there, there was either the Devil or one of your shape shifters to torture me. And for what? So you could kill the real Rodger Barratt and take his life," _Aaron shifts slightly in his seat which causes the children to stir in fear. "_Do you know why April couldn't kill you_? _Because she knew that the only way to destroy the Cytracik was to kill herself. And that was also to kill ones that were like her. So she saved the universe. And she saved the Island not only from the Cold Star obliterating it, but also from Monroe from taking charge and repeating what you did_."

Rodger Barratt starts to applaud which alerts his children. He then speaks in English. "The Brigadier is smart. So you know why Monroe was locked up then?"

"To turn him into something you're not. You knew you were eventually going to die and believed that Monroe would be up to the task."

"Something that Lucien could never live up to."

"_Lucien is dead," _Aaron says in Andrymian. "_We eventually killed him like we will do with the remaining members of Heat Miles_."

Rodger Barratt shakes his head. "_Like I said, all this, sending you to that other dimension was nothing personal."_

"_It was very personal to me. You took away a chunk of my life. You have made me who I am."_

Rodger Barratt then carefully leans forward. "_No. You did that."_

There is a long pause of silence as Rodger Barratt and Aaron stare at each other. Eventually, Aaron raises his gun and aims it at Rodger Barratt, but he rests his hand holding the gun lazily on the table. Rodger Barratt's wife really starts to cry and so does one of the children.

"_So, who will be the first to go?"_ Aaron asks calmly.

For the first time, Rodger Barratt suddenly looks very alarmed. "Please, not in front of my children."

"You mean the real Rodger Barratt's children."

Rodger Barratt looks utterly defeated, his shoulders start to slouch.

Aaron then speaks his last words in Andrymian. _"It's your turn to meet the Devil."_

And then without so much as a blink, Aaron moves his gun ever so slightly and pulls the trigger three times. There is the sound of three bodies clattering to the floor and immediately, the crying and the sharp, fearful breaths cease.

Aaron is left alone with Rodger Barratt, a look upon his face he has never seen before.

Mercy.

He does not have the wits to beg with words, but his face is enough. Rodger Barratt dares not to even look at his dead family. He just stares at Aaron who's face reads no expression.

And then Aaron looks fed up.

"Let's get this over with." Aaron stands up and pulls the trigger, shooting Rodger Barratt in the stomach. Blood pours out all over the table as Rodger Barratt chokes. Yet his eyes do not break contact with Aaron. Aaron then raises his gun and aims at his heart.

Aaron pulls the trigger with his last bullet, and Rodger Barratt dies.


	50. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

It is exactly a week since the end of the Battle of the Cytracik and slowly but surely the citizens of the Island start to get on with their lives. In the days after the battle ended, everyone shut themselves in their homes and kept their heads down. But once the news was revealed that their King is dead, everyone suddenly felt what it is to be free for the first time.

But it is a week later, and the Doctor wants to leave the Island for there is nothing for them here. He moves the Tardis from the cliff and parks it in Jack's living room.

"We need to go," the Doctor says darkly when everyone crowds around the living room to Jack Gruntler's house. "We need to let life on the Island take it's own course," he looks at Aaron. "And you need to take your team home."

Aaron nods. "I know."

The Doctor looks at Rose. "You ready?"

Rose looks unsure for a while. "There are still members of Heat Miles here."

"That will be taken care of." Max says, staring down at the floorboards.

Rose turns to look at Max with a frown. "You can't be certain."

"No, but I can make sure it happens."

There is a brief silence as everyone looks at Max. Then the Doctor steps forward.

"Max, I think it's best if you leave with us. There is nothing for you here." The Doctor says.

"What else have I got?" Max shouts unintentionally. "My life in Manchester was a lie. I've lost Edina. I've lost my sister," Max sighs heavily. "I'm a biologist who was also looked upon as a doctor. I had a following back in Manchester," Max sighs. "These people were born onto this Island with only Rodger Barratt and Heat Miles to look up to. They need someone to follow or this place is going to be chaos. I'm staying. I don't want to leave where April left off."

Silence fills the house once more. No one has the right mind to tell Max what to do. Not even the Doctor.

"The boy has a point," Jack Gruntler says. "Turn this Island into a home. Make new rituals. Give these people a life."

"And I can have the last remaining members of Heat Miles executed. There will be nothing left of the battle."

Joseph steps forward and puts a hand on Max's shoulder. "I shall stay with you."

The Doctor nods. "Well I guess this is goodbye," he pauses. "For now. I'll come back and visit regularly."

Max manages a half smile. "You'd better." He then shakes the Doctor's hand which is then followed by a tight hug from Rose.

The hour that passes is filled with goodbyes. UNIT says goodbye for the final time to the Doctor, Rose and Terry. They know they have to leave, but everyone is somewhat reluctant to.

"We'll use the same teleport device we used to get here," Aaron says but quickly notices the Doctor's unimpressed look. "It's safe. Declan designed it to make only two trips. One to get here. And one to get us home. Safely."

"And you're certain it'll get you home?" The Doctor asks.

"No," Aaron says matter-of-factly. "Well not take us to the base in London that is. It'll probably take us to somewhere in Wales. But it's home," he then steps forward. "Goodbye, Doctor."

"Goodbye, Brigadier." The Doctor lifts his arm and salutes Aaron.

For a second Aaron is a little taken aback as the two friends stare at each other. Both of which looking different to how they were when this battle first started. There is something cold and distressing behind their eyes. A story no one else can relate to.

When Aaron returned after killing Rodger Barratt and his family, no one asked him about it. But they knew what had happened.

Aaron returns the salute. He turns back to his army and they stand in a huddle. Aaron, Ireen, Will, Sarah-Jane, Martha, Rex and Declan stand together, looking at the Doctor, Rose and Terry for the last time.

The Doctor does not break eye contact with Aaron. But soon they are surrounded by a blue light and then they are gone. The space they were standing in is now empty, almost as if they were never there in the first place. The Doctor, however, continues to stare at where Aaron was, trying to remind himself that his friend is dead. His friend was exterminated by the Daleks years ago.

Rose steps forward and takes his hand in hers. The Doctor looks up at Jack Gruntler who is looking rather tired and frail.

"Want a lift home, big boy?" The Doctor asks.

Jack lets out a laugh before slowly sitting himself into the armchair. "Wherever Joseph goes, I go. I've become rather fond of my little home here, so I'm choosing to stay. My house in Scotland will be put up on the market. Someone else will have it."

The Doctor nods, knowing that objecting to Jack's wishes is never a good idea, despite the amount of times he has done it before.

"But this is not goodbye, Doctor. You'll be visiting many times." Jack says, waving his hand as if batting away a fly.

The Doctor looks to Max one last time, seeing April in him. But Max nods to the Doctor to go. Still holding onto Rose's hand, he turns and they walk into the Tardis. Terry is the last in. The Doctor says nothing more as he runs to the console and presses a few buttons, making plans to fly to the planet Dryaka.

He does not start to speak until the Tardis starts to groan and disappear from the Island. "How does Dryaka sound?" He asks pressing all these different buttons and pulling different leavers. "We've never been before and it'll be a great planet. It'll be fun. I mean unless you want to go back home and visit Jackie and Micky for a few days. I mean I won't stop you. It might be a wise idea. Give you time to think. Or we could just travel. Wherever you want to go."

The Doctor speaks at a very fast pace as he dances around the console, clearly trying to cover up the missing presence of April. Rose keeps trying to cut across the Doctor, to make him stop, but he continues to blabber on.

"Doctor." Rose eventually says which stops him.

The Doctor stops mid step and looks at Rose. And then he looks at what is in Rose's arms. April's white hoodie she was wearing when they first came to the Island. She left it hanging on one of the railings. Rose holds onto the soft hoodie as if it is the most delicate thing she has ever held.

"At least she's left something behind for us to remember her by." Rose says softly.

"She's also left this," Terry strides across the console room to the chair. There is the Time Book April left behind. She picks it up and waves it to Rose and the Doctor.

The Doctor frowns. "I remember her reading this all the time." he takes it out of Terry's hand and flicks through the little blue book, only to find blank pages.

The Tardis lets out a rumble, almost like a little laugh. The Doctor glances up at the console and then back down at the blank book. And then he realises.

"Oh, you clever thing." The Doctor breathes.

"Why? What is it?" Rose asks standing by the Doctor's side.

The Doctor does not reply as he tries to figure it out. He plays with the book, opens at the middle page, flat on top of the console. The Tardis lets out another rumble and soon enough, the words slowly start to appear on the page. The Doctor beams with happiness as he laughs for the first time in what feels like forever.

"What is it?" Rose asks again, peering down at the hand written words on the pages.

"It's a Time Book. The only one in its existence!" The Doctor says cheerfully.

"And what is a Time Book?"

"The Tardis has different ways to communicate to different people it comes across. I knew from the start that the Tardis had a soft spot for April, that is why it was so easy for her to learn how to fly it. Not only was April incredibly smart, but the Tardis allowed her to fly her too. And that never usually happens. So obviously the Tardis wanted to connect with her in other ways. I have no idea where April found this book, but the Tardis would have created it and put it somewhere for April to find. April writes down her thoughts and the Tardis will respond," the Doctor then frowns and looks up at the console. "How come you never did that for me?"

The Tardis rumbles in response.

"And so we will always have a part of April with us no matter where we go." Terry says.

The Doctor, Rose and Terry look up at the console as the Tardis flies swiftly through the time vortex.

* * *

Max walks through the village, heading towards a basketball court. Joseph walks by his side and following him is Amelia Lustworve.

A group of school teenagers are playing a basketball tournament they have been training for the past year. Groups of parents sit around the outside of the court, watching, chatting with one another and cheering on for their child. Max stops walking, not too sure if it is right for him to join everyone.

No one on this Island is obliged to Max running the village. He wanted to do this alone, but then ended up asking his grandfather and the remaining members of the revolution to help him. Max specifically chose this day for the basketball tournament as a means of a distraction.

All the remaining members of Heat Miles have been caught and will be executed. After everything that this village has gone through, Max does not want any villagers to witness these deaths. And there is no one else who can carry out these executions than the remaining members of the revolution.

However, when gun shots can be heard all the way from the Arena, the children suddenly pause their game of basketball and everyone looks in the direction of the shooting. At first everyone is scared. Terrified that something will be on its way to kill them all. But they soon start to relax when there is nothing more. Orion and the rest of the revolution have done their final duty, and the Island is free from Heat Miles.

The coach blows his whistle and the children continue to play their game of basketball.

Max, Joseph and Amelia continue to watch the game proceed, ready to begin a new, safe and peaceful world on this Island.

**THE END**


End file.
